Goal Setting For Your Best Year Ever (or a Place to Start)...


I trust your "NEW YEAR" is off to a great start! I also trust you ended or began the year by setting some great goals and that you are busy implementing your plan to have one of your best years ever! But, in case you found yourself blinking through the rush of the holidays only to find yourself a few weeks into the "NEW YEAR" trudging the same roads as last year, I wanted to offer an alternative and reminder about goal setting.

GOALS will help you focus on the MOST important parts of your business and life. That's the premise behind Brian Tracy's book, Focal Point. Here's a brief excerpt:

"This simple story illustrates and summarizes the most important single principle of success, achievement and happiness in life. Your ability to determine where you put the "X" in each part of your life is the critical determinant of everything that you accomplish, or fail to accomplish. This "X" is your focal point. This is the one thing that you can do, at any given moment, to get the very best result possible for you in that area. Your ability to choose the correct time, place and activity to place your "X" has more of an impact on your life than any other factor."

We all share some common goals: to be healthy and fit, full of energy and free of pain or illness; to enjoy excellent relationships (psychologists estimate that 85% of our happiness is due to the quality of our relationships); to do work we enjoy, do it well and be well paid for it; and to achieve financial independence, meaning not have to worry about money.

In business coaching and executive coaching, we use an exercise called "Diamond Mapping" to help determine a person's satisfaction with these key areas in life (Note: You can also add Spiritual and Personal Growth as categories, although I tend to include these with my health and fitness goals). It's a simple gut check on a scale of 1-10 to determine our satisfaction in each of these important areas. First, determine what a "10" means for you and then mark your current position relative to a "10". For example, in business, a "10" might be a revenue level of $10 Million. If you are currently at $5 Million in revenue, then you would probably circle a 5. Do this for each of the areas.

Diamond Map for Goal Setting | RMi Executive Search

So, what will you do this year to move from where you are today on your diamond map to where you want to be?

Take 30 seconds to answer the following 4 questions. Often, our gut reaction is just as accurate as if we had spent hours pondering a question.

  1. What are your 3 most important business or career goals?
  2. What are your 3 most important financial goals?
  3. What are your 3 most important family or relationship goals?
  4. What are your 3 most important health and fitness goals?

In writing your goals, remember to make them SMART:

  • S = Specific. Make your goals as specific as possible.
  • M = Measurable. Make your goals measurable so you can tell if you are moving toward your goal or away from it.
  • A = Aligned with Your Values. Your goals will be meaningless and temporary unless they are aligned with your values.
  • R = Realistic. Set stretch goals, but set goals that are realistically attainable.
  • T = Time-Bounded. Always set a deadline for goal accomplishment.

What one action will you take TODAY as a result of reading this? The longer the period between the decision and the action, the less likely you are to get into action. Do something every day that moves you toward accomplishing your most important goals!

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