What are you trying to achieve? Whether you are seeking to grow your business more strategically, build a career that feels satisfying, finally get your health back on track, or find the love of your life—goals provide the framework that makes you unstoppable. Without them life can feel rather exhausting, random and dissatisfying—even when you are killing it.
Goals are a compass. They provide you with clarity about where you want to be, no matter where you start. They guide and focus your daily actions in a unified direction. When you use goals effectively, they also set structure to your priorities in your daily actions. This helps maintain your energy and amplifies your productivity. Without an end goal in mind, we often feel aimless and lost, or worse, overwhelmed and lacking intentionality. Goals are an inside job. Rarely has anyone been motivated by an external rule or demand. Sure, we may take action on these drivers out of fear or a sense of responsibility. However, unless we also believe in their importance, our compliance only goes so far. If your goals are about them (you know who they are: your family, friends, clients and stakeholders) and only them, putting your own passion, power and freedom on the back burner, then you are setting yourself up for a crash. To go the distance towards a goal, and to stick with it in the face of life’s challenges and obstacles, we must own our goal. That means it needs to align with our values, purpose and desires. It must be meaningful and satisfying to us first and foremost. Even business goals aren’t about the business. Business isn’t just about the profit or productivity. It is about being of service—to the owners and leadership, as well as the employees and customers. The majority of businesses operate with little or no business strategy or plan. That’s because most people run their lives with little or no strategy or plan. Both business and life goals are inextricably linked to one another. Profit is not a goal in and of itself. It is only realized when it is connected to a goal of creating greater impact in your life, and/or the lives of your clients. Without goals, there can be no strategy, and without a strategy, there can be no plan. It is vital to get vague goals out of your head and on paper, so you can see them clearly and commit to bringing them to life. Leaders set the goals—for themselves and others. Whether you are leading an entire company or simply leading yourself to a fuller life, your job is to dream big, and set goals that are inspiring and visionary. Goals aren’t about getting by. Goals are about living an all-out amazing and unstoppable life. To help you, I have created a 5-day Unstoppable Goals & Strategy Challenge the first week of January. If you find yourself resisting this sort of activity, thinking Oh, this doesn’t apply to me! then challenge yourself to lean in and grow your clarity anyway. This challenge will give you a full 360° view of the drivers that can make your goals and strategy a success in record time!
Leaders understand how all of it is actually connected. And leaders do the work. Goals challenge us to be a better version of ourselves. We are always growing and evolving. Setting goals for ourselves takes ownership of that process. If we are not willing to spend time to have a thoughtful, deliberate conversation with ourselves, then we will continue to live life at the same level we have been all along.