Goal setting – Know what you want and how to achieve it
The last time I did archery was on a Pontins adventure holiday in the Isle of Wight aged eleven, so when I recently did it again some twenty seven years later, I expected to be a little rusty…
I would be right in my thinking, getting off to a slow start I hit the back board a few times, dropped my third arrow on the floor and hit a few around the edges, whilst each time aiming for the bullseye. On my seventh arrow the instructor whispered “relax...breathe” and with that I hit the bullseye! Remembering his simple advice, I had two shots and hit the bullseye again and again. Chuffed with my quick learning skills and totally awesome results, I buzzed my way out of there with a huge smile of satisfaction on my face.
On reflection I realised that I was trying too hard initially to achieve perfection and that it was only when I relaxed and took the pressure off myself that I saw the results and smashed my goals, consistently!
If you don’t know what you want, how do you know what to ask for?
Getting in to the right mindset is a huge part of goal setting and something I practise regularly, so do what is right for you to prep for this, whether it be building your network around you with people you aspire to, watching and listening to inspirational figures on webinars and podcasts or simply spending some time alone in your own company, to allow for creative thinking and some organic idea generation. There is no right or wrong here, this is simply about following your own course of action to allow you to establish exactly what it is you want and if it doesn’t flow naturally, well then don’t give yourself a hard time- think strategically.
What is your end goal? The dream?
Once you know this, then work backwards to figure out a step by step strategy as to how you will reach that target, with tasks at each point to keep you accountable and a fixed lead time as to when you want each step towards your goal to be reached by.
Keeping yourself accountable is a huge part of goal setting, if anything to avoid the temptation to cut corners and excuse your way out of achieving your goals- yes we all do it- life gets in the way and goal posts get moved further and further away and this is where time management comes in.
The ability to manage your own time; particularly as a business owner is a challenge in itself and requires strategic thinking, prioritisation and multi-tasking skills, then throw into the mix the temptation to procrastinate and the general distraction from life and it can all become quite overwhelming, so my advice when those feelings arise is to just take a moment to STOP.
When ready, re-evaluate your current situation, spend some time reflecting on past achievements, assessing successes and challenges you have previously faced, take time to build your mental strength back up doing whatever it is that boosts your mindset to ‘positive mode’ and then press the restart button. When those foundations are laid, the only way is up and those goal setting steps to success will be flowing from that pen nib like Hamilton burning rubber.
There will always be goals to smash and targets to hit in business, whether they’re created by you or your associates- either way remember to enjoy the process, learn from your mistakes and above all... breathe! 🎯
Fiona Duncan-Steer, RSViP
For help on getting started with your goal setting journey contact me to arrange a free discovery call : fiona@rsvipnetwork.co.uk
www.fionaduncansteer.com www.rsvipnetwork.co.uk https://rsvip.vipmembervault.com/