Winding up 2009

It’s our nature to spend the last days of a year looking back at what we accomplished – and what we didn’t quite manage to finish – during the previous year. And while it’s valuable to give ourselves a pat on the back for what we’ve done, we often end up berating ourselves for our “failings”. And yet, how often did we expect something from ourselves without a realistic plan for how we’d get there? How often did we end up realizing that we didn’t have the needed skills, assistance, or time to reach our goals?

Most often, we create our goals like we create our New Year’s resolutions. “I’m going to lose 20 pounds before Memorial Day”, we say. Yet this isn’t a plan; it’s a dream. “I want to gain four more clients in the first quarter of the year”. “I want to double my sales by the end of the year”. Wonderful goals – and we certainly know when we’ve achieved them, as they’re easily measurable. But how manageable are they?

I invite you to consider this – if a goal is worth setting, then it’s worth planning and working for. Want to lose that 20 pounds? Fantastic! What will you be doing to get there? Do you need to find someone with more knowledge to help you, like a nutritionist, or a personal trainer? Do you need support from a coach, from a group like Weight Watchers, or from friends? How will you break your goal down into smaller, measurable chunks?

So your goal is to get more clients in 2010. Awesome! What number would mean “more” to you ? And how much support would you have to have in place to take on those new clients? How can you attract these clients? Do you need to try some new techniques, or do you need to put more effort into your existing outreach? How can you break down this goal so that you can celebrate your accomplishments along the way – will you set a goal to talk to three new people each week about your work, or will you commit to calling one old contact to network once a day? Explore how this can look, broken down, on your calendar.

Unfortunately, we often don’t get the guidance and training we need to set – and reach – our goals. This is where a great consultant, coach, or mentor can come in handy. Finding someone that understands what you want to accomplish and can help you get there is important to your eventual success; getting a cheering section of mentors, friends, and colleagues can help you stay motivated and keep moving forwards on your path to your goals.