Every year, the Christmas decorations that start adorning the shopping centres serves as a reminder that the end of the year is fast approaching. And it’s around this time of year that goal-oriented people start to review their goals and start making plans for the new year.
I’m so guilty of this, and I’m sure you are too. As you review all of the things you didn’t achieve, there’s a tendency to just transfer all of that onto your list for next year thinking your review is done. Individuals do this and so do business owners, particularly around things like making more money, doing more marketing and making more sales. It’s the “Oh well, there’s always next year” excuse…Please STOP!
This is not a true review of your goals. You’re just letting yourself off the hook for not achieving whatever it is you said you wanted to achieve in your personal and professional life. PLUS, focusing on next year when this one isn’t finished yet doesn’t allow yourself to honor and celebrate what it is you actually DID achieve.
So let’s take a moment to do that. Let’s honor the goals you have achieved.
Here’s my “Year-End Achievement Assessment”
- Revisit any goals lists you may have written down at the beginning or throughout the year.
If they’re not written down, do that so you have a physical list. - Tick the things you actually did achieve to their resolution, as in, there’s no more you can do. That goal has been reached.
- Next to each of your ticked off goals answer the following questions,
- How did achieving this goal make you feel?
- How has achieving this goal changed you / helped you grow?
- What was it about this goal that made it important to you to achieve it?
- Now partially highlight any goals that you sincerely contributed to over the past year. These are the goals that have not fully come to fruition but you’re on your way to achieving.
- Next to each of these partially achieved goals, answer these following questions.
- How has contributing to the attainment of this goal made you feel?
- How is the pursuit of this goal changing you / helping you grow?
- How can you imagine that the final achievement of this goal will change you / cause you to grow?
- What is it about this goal that makes it important to you to achieve?
Reflect on these responses for a while. Spend some time observing what these goals had in common. Ask yourself if you’re happy with how they made you feel and how they’ve changed you.
What’s Left On Your List – There’s Still Time
After having taken a moment to review, recognise and celebrate all the goals you have accomplished, next is to assess what’s left on your list and to see if there’s anything that you’d like to tick-off or contribute to before the end of the year. This process works for personal and business goals so feel free to repeat it for both.
- From the list above, transfer all of the goals you contributed to to one list, and the goals you haven’t yet started onto a new, separate list.
- Go through each goal on these new lists and tick any that you feel you’d LOVE to achieve by the end of the year. This might be 1, it could be more.
- How out of these goals, write down “Yes” Or “No” to the following questions.
- Is this an actual goal and not just a “to-do list item”? Yes / No
- Is achieving this goal before the end of this year important to me? Yes / No
- Do I believe I’m capable of achieving this goal before the year is out? Yes / No
- Am I willing to put in the effort to go after this goal? Yes / No
- Now highlight the goal/s that got four YES.
Now focus your energy and attention on just these goal/s between now and the end of the year.
For any remaining, unfinished goals, you can repeat a similar process to see if they are worthy of making it to your goals list for next year.
Why You’re Not Crushing Actual Goals
It wasn’t until I started studying Thinking Into Results, a fabulous program created by the Proctor Gallagher Institute that I really understood what a GOAL was. For a long time, the biggest reason why I wasn’t “crushing” my goals is because what I was calling “Goals” were not actually Goals. This is why I asked this question above. For example, setting up a Facebook page for your business is not a good business goal… it’s merely an action item. It could be a step in a bigger goal centered about your business marketing strategy, but on its own… it’s nothing more than a checklist item.
Here’s some resources that will help you better understand what constitutes an actual GOAL.
I LOVE Bob Proctor! He passed away in early 2022, but is still recognised as one of the best in the biz when it comes to human potential and growth! These two videos speak to setting the right goals and how to make them happen.
Setting The Right Goals | Bob Proctor
How To Write Goals | Bob Proctor
Bob Proctor’s business partner, Sandy Gallagher is also another guru worth listening to. She talks about the difference between A, B and C Type Goals.
The ABC's of Goal Setting | Sandy Gallagher
Ready To Crush Your Marketing Goals?
Hopefully now you have a better understanding of why you have achieved some of your goals and why there’s others you continue to struggle with. As a reminder, I urge you to move beyond the “there’s always next year” mentality and take a moment to honor the goals you have already achieved.
I also hope you’re ready to set your sights on finishing the year with a bang.
If you’d like support in reviewing your year and to create a plan to crush your marketing goals moving forward, I invite you to start with my 20 minute Clarity Call on ZOOM. It’s 100% free and allows us to start to uncover what it is you’ve been missing in your Marketing Strategy all this time.
Also, if you’d like more information about the Thinking Into Results program, let me know. I have a fabulous facilitator based in North Brisbane, Australia and will soon be available as a co-facilitator myself.
Not sure where to start?
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Still not sure? Check out a recent article I wrote for my web design agency ‘Can A Business Coach Help Me? How Clarity Leads To Growth’ more specifically around extracting that next-big, enticing and exciting opportunity that can really propel your business forward as well as help you get unstuck if you’re not sure ‘where to’ from here.
