Entrepreneur tips!

So entrepreneurs how did that New Year’s Resolution work out for you? Was it easy or did you flop like a pancake?

Here’s a fact. According to U.S. News & World Report, 80% of people fail to reach their resolutions by mid-February.

More research conducted by Strava using over 800 million user-logged activities in 2019 predicts the day most people are likely to give up on their New Year’s Resolution is January 19. Strava calls it “Quitter’s Day.”

Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail

“When you feel like you’re not productive, it’s not necessarily because you’re lazy or because you have bad habits, it’s because you’re not working on the right projects and you haven’t found the ones that are intrinsically motivating and meaningful to you.” —Adam Grant

When I work with entrepreneurs /business owners I noticed how they are so wrapped up in their business that they avoid sitting down and writing down their goals. They’re so burnt out, exhausted, can barely get through their daily to do list and they think; what’s the point of writing down goals. Some might ask “Anna isn’t working on my business already in a sense working on my goals?” Well not quite. 

Writing down your goals is important because it makes is easier for you to see where you are today and where you want to go. I know for me personally, I hate keeping things in my head. It makes me feel tired and overwhelmed when I keep a to do list in my head.  I need to write my goals down because now I feel committed. It’s a contract. This is what I posted on my Facebook. 

 

 

4 Reasons Your Goals Fail

1. They’re too big.
2. It’s not specific.
3. We are too impatient.
4. We’re not doing it for ourselves, but for others. 

 

 

If you are an entrepreneur and you want to get serious about making your goals work here are the steps to follow.

1. Write down your goals and be clear about what you really want. 

Some ideas are:

• Money
  • How much money do I want to make? 
  • How much do I want to save? 
  • What things do I want to buy?

 

• Personal development
  • What new skills do I want to learn? 
  • Which skills do I want to improve? 
  • What habits do I want to stop?

 

• Loving Relationships
  • Am I happy with my relationships?
  • Is my home life filled with love, peace, and support?
  • Are there any relationships I want to mend?

 

• Education / Career
  • What can I do to earn more?
  • Should I go back to school to upgrade my education?
  • Am I doing what I really love? Is it my calling?

 

• Health 
  • What should my healthy weight be?
  • What foods do I need to cut out because they drain my energy?
  • What do I need to eat more of to help clear my skin?

 

• Spirituality
  • What am I grateful for?
  • Do I have peace or chaos in my life?

 

• Charity
  • How can I help others?

 

2. Visualization

Close your eyes and visualize you achieving your goal. 

3. Say your affirmations

Affirmations must be personal, present, and positive. For example, you would say “I am super fit and healthy”. You wouldn’t say “I hope to be super fit and healthy someday”. Hoping is not positive, and saying someday is not present. 

4. Accountability

Find someone to hold you accountable. 

5. As an entrepreneur you have to manage your expectations

There is no guarantee you will be able to achieve your goals. Sometimes it could be because your workload has increased, maybe you had to deal with a sick parent, or you are stressed from your divorce. Sometimes, life simply gets in the way but it’s not about all or nothing. For example if you weren’t able to make it to your Zumba class nothing is stopping you from doing a 15-minute workout at home. 

Don’t be intimidated, it’s not as daunting as you think it is. 

Set powerful goals for 2020 and start asking yourself this set of potent questions:

1. What will you START doing to be more effective and accomplish your goals?
2. What will you STOP doing to free up time and resources and create greater focus?
3. What will you CONTINUE doing that’s working well?

Summary

Writing down your goals is the easy part. Now you have take action and execute. Seriously, how badly do you want to achieve your goals?

Avoid perfection. It happens to all of us! No one is perfect.

You will mostly slip. Not all the time but sometimes. And when that happens accept it and simply move on. Just keep going. Keep going forward. 

What ultimately matters for the entrepreneur is the long term. If you stick to it, even 80% you’ll be better off, smarter, stronger, wiser, and on and on. It’s about making improvements in your life because you deserve a better you, always. You can do it!