As we head into the last part of the year, how are you feeling about the goals you’ve set so far? Think about the goals you’ve reached: Did you feel a sense of fulfillment when you did so? Have they brought you closer to the vision you have for your future? What about the goals you didn’t reach—how has that affected your overall trajectory?
At this point in the year, we often start to feel a sense of dissatisfaction; like we started the year with all this enthusiasm and hope, but somewhere along the way we lost interest in the process. If you’re looking at the goals you set and wondering, “Why did I want to reach that in the first place?” you’re not alone! In fact, chances are the issue is that you’ve been setting the wrong types of goals in the first place.
4 Reasons You’ve Been Setting the Wrong Goals
1- You based your goal on other people’s expectations
How many times have you done something in your life just because someone else expected you to? We’ve all been there! For every decision from where to go to school, to the people we include in our wedding party, to the type of business we build—chances are, someone else had some influence on the choices we made for ourselves.
If you’re not feeling enthusiastic about your goals, chances are it’s because you based those goals on someone else’s ideas about what your business should be. Whether it is a family member, a coach, or even your employees—basing your goals on someone else’s expectations is a sure-fire way to lose your motivation on the way to achieving those goals.
2- You have been trying to “keep up with the Joneses.”
So many times, we think we have to achieve a certain level of sales or income, drive a certain type of car, or live in a certain neighborhood just to feel like we’ve “made it.” We see other people with businesses like ours, and we think we have to earn 6 figures because they do. The thing is, in all my work with clients, I know that having a 6-figure business (or even a 7-figure one) doesn’t at all guarantee happiness.
Something to consider: would you still want a 6-figure business if it meant you had to work 80 hours a week in order to maintain it? Is it worth it to you to earn all that money even if you don’t have time to enjoy any of it? Setting lofty goals for yourself can be very motivating, but if you’ve set a goal because you think your business has to look like someone else’s in order to be successful, it’s time to re-evaluate.
3- You stuck to what felt safe or reasonable based on what you’ve done so far.
Safe goals may be relatively easy to reach, but rarely are they motivating. If you’ve been setting goals based on what you’re fairly certain you can reach, it might be time to step outside your comfort zone and allow yourself the space to dream big.
It’s possible you’re just continuing to set incremental goals out of habit at this point. What if you threw away the instruction manual and thought about what you REALLY want, for life and business? What kinds of goals would you set then?
4- You’ve already invested in the process, so you didn’t want to change directions.
When you start a book, do you force yourself to finish it, even if it’s terrible? Or do you allow yourself to put it away, and pick up something more entertaining? In the grand scheme of things, whichever type of book reader you are doesn’t really matter, because you haven’t lost that much time to a bad book. However, this same type of attitude translates to your business as well.
Just because you start something doesn’t mean you have to finish it. That goes for adding a new product line, hiring new staff, exploring a new service option, and even building an entire business. If you’ve reached a point where something is no longer serving you or igniting your enthusiasm, it’s okay to stop. Sometimes a change in direction or even an entirely fresh start is just what you need to find success on your own terms.
If you think you may have been setting the wrong types of goals this year, the good news is, it’s never too late to change direction! And if you want to make sure to set better goals next year, I have a solution for that, too.
The Quarterly Tune-Up is my group coaching session designed to help you:
- Set the right goals for YOUR life and business
- Make a plan to check in on those goals and readjust as needed
- Tackle your To Dos and make consistent progress in your business
- Benefit from the wisdom and insight of other entrepreneurs who are in the thick of it right there with you.
If you’re ready to give yourself a great on-ramp next year or your next quarter, let’s chat about how the Quarterly Tune-Up can help you.
