In the last four posts we have focused very much on mindset. Let’s switch now to something more operational so that you can achieve the outcome you want: setting clear targets for your 3 peaks.
In today’s article, we will focus on two things:
- Look back on your progress over the last posts (read those first, or skip this part)
- Breaking down your target on how to climb your peaks
This session will help you to:
- be clear on where you stand today: know where you are to define your next steps
- Feel good about your progress: Looking forward to the journey ahead of us, we often get overwhelmed. Looking into the rearview mirror will help you gain confidence through your progress: measuring gains just feels good!
- Define your strategy: you will complete the first step in your strategic roadmap: a SMART breakdown of your goals
Let’s get started in your journal:
Reflection 1: How far have you come since you began this course? Where are you clearer compared to when you started?
Reflection 2: What are your gains & wins within this course?
Now, let’s start defining your goals. Before we start breaking down your peaks into goals, let’s go through some basics of successful goal setting. One prominent goal-setting concept that you may already know is SMART goal setting, which is attributed to Peter Drucker’s Management by Objectives. SMART is an acronym that stands for:
Reflection 3: For each of your peaks, set one SMART goal that you are willing to achieve. Please make your goal:
Specific: Make your goal as specific as possible to focus your efforts and be truly motivated to achieve it. Use the five-why-exercise to become crystal clear:
- What do I want to accomplish?
- Why is the goal important?
- Who is involved?
- Where is it located?
- Which resources or limits are involved?
Clarity on not only WHAT you want but also WHY you want it is essential to fully commit and achieve it.
My backstory: I cannot count how many times I went back to my WHY to keep going when things got difficult and doubts were creeping in. So, don’t skimp over it.
Measurable: by quantifying your goal, you will know when you have achieved it. Also, you can measure how well you are underway in achieving your success.
For example, when creating my business, I set measurable targets: ü Get certified, ü found company, # of happy clients, # of people on my email list, and amount of revenue.
Achievable: create a goal that is achievable to stay motivated. When gauging achievability, it makes sense to think of concrete steps that would be required to attain the goal (we will work through methods in the Personal ASCENT Package). Knowing the steps will make it easier for you to gauge accurately if you have the time and resources to do it.
Hint: make sure that achieving the goal is at least mostly in your control (e.g., getting a promotion depends on the recruiter’s decision, whereas a solid preparation for the interview is in your control).
Relevant: ensure that the goal matters for achieving your particular peak. You can ask yourself the following question: is achieving this goal required to reach my peak? A website about yourself may, for example, be a nice gimmick but not help you to land your new position.
Time-bound: The goal needs a specific date by which you want to achieve it so that you will put sufficient effort on it. I recommend using keystone dates such as ’31st of December’, ‘within 12 months’, ‘within the next Quarter’, etc. Choose meaningful dates that are easy to remember even if you don’t look at your schedule.
Hint: set ambitious timelines! Cyril Parkinson already noted in 1955 what later was to become Parkinson’s Law: “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
And now, what?
Now, that you have completed the 5-day email course, how do you feel? Confident that you can reach your goals? Or, do some doubts remain? Do you believe, you can achieve what you set out to do? Can you commit to it 100%?
If not, don’t worry. It is normal that such a process takes time and a lot of asking the hard questions. Just this week, I have woken up in the morning, asking myself: “why the heck am I doing this and not just sitting back and enjoying an easy life?” I get it.
Luckily, you are not alone in this journey.
- Do you want some guidance to get quickly through the struggles?
- Do you want to take courageous steps in your career?
- Do you want to take your current self to the next level?
- Do you want to create more peak experiences in your life?
If you have said “yes” to any of the questions, schedule a no-strings-attached 100% free strategy call with me now.