You’ve heard that your goals have to be SMART, but how do you measure if you can actually attain them? Further, how can you tell if you actually want to achieve them and they aren’t just things you think you should want?
When you set specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound goals, you’re only halfway there.
Getting in tune with your vision and then creating an action plan to move toward your priority items will show you which goals are attainable and if they make sense for your lifestyle.
I start every goal-setting session with a vision board. That way, I know exactly what I’m desiring to achieve and I can make a realistic plan to accomplish all of those goals. Then, I begin to plan out how I’ll achieve each step. It’s so simple and I’m sharing my process with you today!
Cost Out Each Item
You’ve expanded your mind and filled your vision board with all the things you want to do. The very next step is putting numbers next to your desires by assigning a cost to each thing. Yes, even down to a set of new markers!
Once you’ve tallied up each item and you have an actual revenue number, you can be much more strategic with how you’ll accomplish and call in the things on your vision board.
Get Curious and Ask How
Perhaps your revenue number after you costed out and totaled up everything you want is $1.2M. (Everyone’s goals are different and 90% of the time, the number is way less than you think it is. We’re just using this random number for example’s sake.)
Now, you can think about what kind of offers you’d need to put out into the world to generate that revenue number.
Stream-of-conscious-style, write down all the ways you could get there. Ask yourself: What would be possible? What would I offer if someone paid me $10k?
Your answers could look like: High-level consulting, masterminds, digital products, workshops, speaking engagements… Get curious and remain open. Don’t edit yourself or think about whether it’s feasible to do right now. We’ll get to that later.
If you add everything up and you need to make $500k more to reach your $1.2M goal, start again; open up and brainstorm new possibilities.
Success Tip: Activate your rational brain as a solution device. Get creative and ask HOW could I actually do that?
Assign Values to Vehicles
Now that you have your list of vehicles you could use to take you to $1.2M, play with your options and offers. Put numbers and quantities next to the vehicles you brainstormed.
Let’s say you want to generate most of your revenue in a group program of some sort. To reach $1M for the year, you’d need:
- Two people paying you $500K per year
- Four people paying you $250K per year
- 10 people paying you $100K per year
- 20 people paying you $50K per year
You get the idea.
Keep playing around until you find something that feels good to you. Sit with it for a moment — do you feel anxious or at peace? Do you feel a willingness to do whatever it takes to find those 20 people? Is it feasible right now to dedicate the time to making a group program or would one-on-one coaching be a better use of your time?
Remember my rule of rigid flexibility and stay open to the idea that your plans can always pivot. You may get a great idea mid-year that generates new possibilities in your business.
Pick a Focus
Look at your list and pick one thing to focus on. After all, you don’t have to accomplish everything on your vision board on January 1st!
Last year when I did this, the first thing I decided I wanted was a new set of bedsheets. I had already gone through this exercise and knew they would be $111. From there, I decided how much I wanted to work to generate that $111. Was it selling one intensive or five digital products? Where do I feel the most ease in generating $111?
When you quantify and break things into smaller elements, they’re much more realistic and not as intimidating as saying, “I want $1.2M!” You also pick one problem for your brain to solve at a time.
Your rational brain doesn’t know how to do this. What you’re trying to activate is your brain as a solution device. Use your brain to get creative and ask HOW could I actually do that?
It isn’t so much whether your goals are realistic and achievable, rather activating the part of your brain that is a solution device. You get into the mode of being creative and seeing possibilities. Then, assigning tangible numbers to each item will help you decide where you want to focus your energy so you can attain what you set out to do, be, and have.
By asking, “How could I generate this income?” you already are telling yourself that your goals are attainable.
