A few weeks back I shared that I wanted to grow my business to a $1 million dollar business. That remains my goal and currently my top three strategies to get me there are:
- Offer more products for sale here.
- Have clients on conversion-based payments so as they make more, I make more.
- Get more group (mastermind) and solo coaching clients.
I do have plans for how this can all happen in 2015 but there is some risk involved, which is why I have set up quarterly evaluations for my goals.
Blind
When I was 7 or 8 I went on a bike ride with my dad. Well, I was on my bike in the forest and he walked. I remember being super excited my dad was going to take me out in to the ‘big forest’. Even though years later I realize how truly small it was and how it was surrounded by houses on all sides.
The goal for that day was to ride my bike and hang out with my dad but I got too focused on the path and got way ahead of him. When I came to a fork in the path, I went left and when my dad reached the fork, he went right.
He told me I was only out of sight for 5 to 10 minutes, but I remember it feeling like an eternity. An eternity in which I was crying so hard I could barely ride my bike back down the path towards the place where our paths diverged.
When I finally made my way back to my dad, I of course jumped into his arms, overcome with relief. During the remainder of the ride I stayed focused on the goal, having a good time with my dad, not the path.
My plans and enemies
I’ve got plans for the year — the path I’ve laid out — but the fact is, I’m not holding too firmly to them. If I get to my first quarterly evaluation and the plans are totally off the rails, it’s time to refocus on my goal and possibly map out a new path to get me to my goal.
As you set your own goals, make your yearly/life plans but make sure you come back and revisit them regularly so you stay on the path to your end goal.
The way you get there doesn’t matter, the fact that you get to your goal is the important part.
photo credit: clement127 cc
One response to “Focus on the Goal Not the Path”
This is funny. Your post the other day about how the first thing you plan every year is your vacation prompted me to do a writeup of my review process. I review and plan in a cascade from yearly, quarterly and monthly to weekly and daily.
Your point here is basically the same as what I do regularly: revisit your goals and focus on where you want to go long term. The exact path might change compared to your initial outset, but you need your compass calculated so you know you are going in the right direction.