This is the usual scenario…you set your intentions, you take off and you’re sprinting as fast as you can toward that goal. You’re pushing forward, taking long strides and push past the things that come up. You’re completely focused on where you’re going. Then, about a month or so into that stride you’re floundering or if your efforts are completely stalled. You have no idea what to do next.
The reasons that you start to flounder or become completely stopped after that strong start is because you don’t have all of the pieces of the puzzle, and that’s why people typically fall short or fail. The foundation you start with has to be strong and complete, or you won’t make it to the finish line. The foundational pieces that have to be set in place and habits that you have to develop if you want to ensure that you accomplish your goals.
Your foundation has to consists of:
- Solid goals-Your intent or desire morphed into a S.M.A.R.T. goal—if it’s not in writing it’s not real. Make your goal specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. It also helps to make your goals values based. You’re more likely to succeed when your goals are directly related to your values
- Written plan– You can’t get on the road to your goals without a map that shows you how to get there. You have to make the time to create your plan to get you from point A to point B. That plan has to include step-by-step process and have all the details–the timing, the resources (money, people, and information). You also have to consider the detours that you might be faced with along the way.
- Systems-Systems support your entire business, not just you in hot pursuit of your goals. Without them there is only chaos. What systems do you have set up right now to support you? If you don’t have systems in place, you’re wasting time, which is taking you from the key things that you need to be doing in pursuit of your goals. Without systems all you have is chaos, which contributes to your goals failing.
- Supportive Habits-Your habits must support your efforts, not thwart them. Work to eliminate procrastination, manage your time effectively and throw accountability into the mix
Did you know that nearly 97% of adults don’t have written goals or a plan for carrying their goals out. There are a lot of people who fall into that 97%. 92% of people who create goals don’t ever achieve them, which means that out of those who actually set goals for themselves, only 8% actually achieve them. That represents a staggering amount of failures. Those staggering numbers are due to people not having those missing pieces. Get these missing pieces into place and solidify your foundation. Shore yourself up so that you can achieve your goals.