Have you ever noticed that the week or two before the New Year, Facebook begins to fill up with “New Year Resolution” ads?
There's everything from goal setting, to manifesting guides, to intention setting, to picking your word for the year.
All of which are great. Goal setting serves an important role for us as coaches and as business owners.
But if you don't have a plan of action to go alongside your goals, it doesn't matter how strong of a manifester you are.
You need to take action.
To paraphrase Andy Andrews:
You can't wait around for the things you want to show up in your life, you need to show up for them.
In other words, once you set your goals – goals you feel strongly about achieving – it's now time to take action.
Which is why I've put together the 5 simple steps I take in my business to help me achieve bigger and bolder goals each and every year.
But first…
Take a moment to reflect back on 2015.
What were your top 5 big successes, your “wins”, and any good fortune that came your way? Did you sign up more clients than you ever have before? Did you generate more revenue or income? Did you do something new that you'd never done before?
Great! Now, where could you have done better? Were there projects you let slip through the cracks? Emails you didn't respond to? What had you hoped you'd accomplish, but didn’t? Be open and honest with yourself here. Allow room for improvement.
Now, for the big question…
What are you going to do this year to blow the lid off last year?
How to make this year your best year yet
Here are 5 things I do every year and what I recommend for you to make this year the Biggest, Boldest, and Best Year Yet in your business and in your life:
Step 1: Spend some time thinking about what you want this year to look like.
- Do you want to hold live events…?
- Do you want to hold group coaching programs…?
- Do you want to develop online training products…?
- How many vacations do you want to take?
- How many days a week do you want to work?
Write it all down.
I've also created vision boards for my goals in the past. This is where you take images from magazines that represent the things you want and post them on a poster board. I've even heard of using Pinterest to create a virtual vision board, but I've not personally used Pinterest. However, you choose to get your goals down will be perfect. Do what feels right for you.
Step 2: Have a revenue goal.
Did you know that most coaches do NOT have a revenue goal? After working with business owners for over 15 years I found that most coaches did not have goals for their income. They knew how many clients they wanted (and didn't want) and what kinds of programs and events they wanted to create, but when it came time to decide how much they wanted to make they struggled to come up with a number.
Set a revenue goal now.
Write it down.
The more specific you can be the better you can plan to get there.
It's like that old saying…
If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there?
Note: when choosing a revenue goal for this year, pick a number that you can see happening, but that is a stretch for you. One of my friends is a business owner that makes about $45K/year and his goal each year is to make $10 million, but he never gets there or even further ahead. If I was coaching him I would say “choose a target amount that you can make this year… maybe $100K or $200K. You can still set an intention to be a millionaire, but aiming to the next target amount makes it more within your control… not just wishful thinking”.
Step 3: Get clear on the skills you need to acquire this year to grow your business and achieve your desired results faster and easier.
Do you need to know how to sign up high-end clients? Do you need to know how to write irresistible marketing copy or hire a copywriter? Do you need to know how to sell from stage? From webinars and teleseminars? Do you need to know how to plan and pack live events or how to be a truly effective networker?
Write all the skills you'll need to achieve your goals down now.
Step 4: Get support.
Even the highest achieving athletes have coaches and in most cases, have many coaches. The more support you have, the bigger results you can achieve. That's why it's important to get the support you need right now.
Take a look at the skills you just wrote down. What kind of support do you need to acquire those skills?
You can hire a VA, join a high-end mastermind, hire a business coach, invest in a product or program that will help you achieve your goals faster and easier. Whatever it is…
Take a moment to think about the kind of support you need this year to help you achieve your goals. Again be open here. It does not pay to think “I can figure it out on my own”. In fact, that kind of thinking holds many coaches back.
Write down all the different kinds of support you need this year now.
Step 5: Create a “mini-plan”.
Too often we get caught up in “how” to make it happen. Let go of all the little details and simply create a rough sketch outline of where the money is going to come from this year and the important milestones for driving your revenue. What do you need to accomplish so that you achieve your goals?
Break it down in 6-month chunks, 90-day chunks, 30-day chunks, all the way to 1-week.
Write it down.
With specific goals, support, and an action plan…
This year is going to be your best year yet!
Cheers!
And, remember…
People need our help. Let's get people coached!
Big Love,
Christian
