Business goals are important. I used to think they weren’t, but then I heard something: If you don’t know where you’re going how do you know when you get there…and how do you know what path to take?
Think about that for a minute. If you don’t know where you’re going, how do you know when you get there? Yes, I’m sure one of your business goals is to make more money, but how much? And by when?
A couple of years ago I set a personal goal to lose 40 pounds. This is what would be called the BHAG (big hairy audacious goal). Forty pounds in its totality seems impossible. But I broke it up into smaller chunks. My first goal was to lose 15 pounds. I’m happy to say that by the end of this month, I will have reached my first goal! I can celebrate and then look towards my next stepping stone goal, which will be to lose another 10 pounds.
You eat an elephant one bite at a time, and that’s what you have to do with your goals, too.
Just as important as setting your BHAG and your milestones to get there is taking action. Yep, if you set a goal, then you must do the actions necessary to get there!
If my first milestone goal was to lose 15 pounds, it would be crazy to think I was going to reach that goal by sitting on my butt and eating whatever I wanted. I needed to exercise and eat healthier. Now, could I have reached my goal quicker than I have? Yes, I could have done more each day to get there faster.
I was recently talking with a client who told me about a program she was putting together. She was very passionate about how it could help her clients and the impact it would have on their lives. But then she went on to say, “I just don’t know if I can do what I need to do to sell it.” Well, we have a disconnect there. If your goal is to impact 20 people, 500 people, thousands of people, you need to take action to spread your message. That action may include networking, having sales calls, doing webinars, and so on, and if you’re not willing to take the action, then you need to reassess your goals.
If I wasn’t willing to exercise and eat healthier, the weight loss wasn’t just going to magically happen!
When you’re looking at goals in your personal life or in business, the process is the same:
- Set your BHAG (big hair audacious goal). Be specific about the number and also your timeframe for accomplishing this BHAG. Remember, this is big so it may not be something you accomplish by the end of 2017 or it could be something you want to accomplish in 5 or 10 years.
- Set your milestones. What are smaller goals along the way? Again, be specific and set your timeframe for these goals. Celebrate when you get there!
- Decide daily what you’re going to do to move one step closer towards your milestone that will ultimately lead you to your BHAG. Put it on your calendar. Take action daily!
What are your BHAG business goals and those milestones along the way? Share with me below!