Making Business Goals a Reality

The end of the year seems like a natural time to reflect on where I've been and where I want to go. Every year on New Years Day, I write down my goals for the year. I link my goals to my values, such as relationships, finances, health, spirituality, etc. I make them realistic and measurable, such as doing yoga once a week. The following year I can evaluate how I did reaching the goals. This is not a time of self-criticism but of learning. I may drop the goal, mark off as accomplished, or refine it to make it more attainable.

Now that I'm self-employed, it seems only natural that I would also set realistic goals for my business. These goals may include finances, marketing, learning, organizational systems, services offered, etc. One goal I have for my business is to develop more focus in my newsletter writing. To help make my goals more specific, I may ask myself: How will I accomplish this? How much time do I want to devote to this? What research will I need to do? Answering these questions helps me make my goal realistic and tangible.

I typically have lots of goals, interests, and topics I want to learn more about. If I don't set realistic and concrete goals, I try to accomplish too much at once. If it is a complex and long-term goal, I want to have time to apply what I have learned before immersing myself into something new. Just as "Rome wasn't built in a day;" the business of your dreams isn't built in a day.