You have an excellent idea for a new business, and you start working on your business plan. but does it align with your personal goals.
You are excited about your new idea, but the enthusiasm starts to wane over a few days because it does not align with our personal goals.
It could be that your rethinking the idea and realizing it wasn't that good, or something about it didn't align with your core beliefs and goals.
It's the align with your core beliefs and goals that I would like to talk about because it happens more than we would like to admit.
Not every business is a good business for you. It has to align with your personal values, goals and skill sets.
So before you start working on your business plan, you need to sort out your personal goals. They need to be in sync. You don't want to be a different person when working in your business and around your family and friends.
Bill Gove
“If I want to be free, I’ve got to be me. Not the me you think I should be, not the me I think my wife thinks I should be, not the me I think my kids think I should be. If I want to be free, I’ve got to be me so I better know who me is.”
When setting goals, it is essential to remember that there needs to be some balance in the major areas of your life. Without this balance, you will spend all your time and energy focusing on work and not spend any time on family or your health, as an example.
People never think about how each decision affects how their lives will look and be in practice when designing their lives.
When you talk about goals with friends and family, are most of the conversations about work and financials? Why is that?
Why are you limiting your goals to work? Is focusing on your career and business goals the only thing that matters? NO, but like us all, you get sucked in by the commercials on TV and magazine advertisements for insurance brokers and banks to focus on making money and managing money to have all you want in the future. What about now? You need some balance.
So let's break a long-held myth in the self-improvement industry. Goals are not just about work.
Let’s start strong and talk about the areas of life you need to design to ensure your success.
If you want a particular lifestyle, you must think about how each choice impacts your desires.
There are eight areas of life that you need to design purposefully for success:
Career Goals
What you do for money will have a massive impact on your life. It will inform every single choice you make. It can make the difference on whether you can afford the lifestyle you desire or not, and even whether you can maintain your health or not realistically.
- What are your goals for your career?
- What position or title do you want?
- What industry do you want to work?
- What perks do you want?
- What awards do you want?
- Do you want your own business?
- Does helping others and mentoring others get you excited?
Education- Life Long Learning
We live in a world of constant change where ongoing education is a must. It doesn’t mean that you always have to be in school, but it does mean that you must be serious about keeping up.
It also helps when education is free or low cost: Podcasts, websites, and discussion groups are all available for free or at low costs. Books and industry magazines are also a cost-effective way to stay current in your chosen field.
Don’t overlook things like audiobooks as a great way to learn on your commute.
Don’t forget your local library. They have access to a wide variety of materials, and depending on their services, online learning could be available.
Finally, check out your local college or university to see if individual courses will help you become an expert in your field.
Family Goals
In today’s world family are not just the people you share common DNA.
It can be a group of people to whom you have a commitment or share common interests.
With that in mind, what are your family goals?
Do you want a traditional family?
Maybe just phoning your parents once a week is what you need to do.
Your goals list should include activities and time to build memories for yourself and your family.
Community Goals
How are you giving back to your community?
Do you want to volunteer at a local school to help kids learn how to read or maybe support a charity?
Do you want to be involved in your church, or do you want to feed the poor or take care of stray animals in your area?
What do you want to have the time and funds to do in your community?
It might be as simple as helping the elderly couple down the street with the groceries.
Spiritual Goals
Your spiritual goals, like all your goals, should reflect your beliefs. Do you have time to work on your personal life and spiritual and emotional development?
Everyone needs time for self-care, including learning about themselves and taking care of themselves through eating right, exercising, going to the doctor regularly, and even doing things that are considered optional, like getting facials or massages.
How about planning a retreat or reading a spiritual book?
How about spending time praying or meditating?
Spiritual goals sometimes focus on changing you into a newer, better person.
Maybe control your temper or give a certain amount to a charity you care about and want to support.
Health and Fitness Goals
Your health and fitness level are essential because it doesn’t matter what level of success you achieve if you're unhealthy.
Being ill or not working at peak performance physically, it’ll be hard to keep up the momentum to achieve your plans.
Finances Goals
It is tempting to choose a high-paying career or business venture because of the money, but you also have to LOVE what you do.
If you don’t have a high paying career you can still achieve your financial goals.
You might have to be more creative but it is possible so define what it means to you to be successful with your finances.
- How much money do you want to make?
- How much do you need to retire?
- How much should you have saved in an emergency fund?
- What is it that you want out of your investments?
Hobbies
Research has shown that we need to recharge our batteries and what better way then to identify what you want to do for fun.
What type of things do you want to do for fun, and what hobbies, if any, would you like to participate in?
Does your business or career allow you to accomplish having fun and doing your hobbies too?
More Goal Lessons
Your goals should be yours, not your spouse’s, your companies, parents or close friends. Take control of your future by making your goals for yourself. If you’re chasing someone else's goals, your life will not be balanced, and you will feel artificial.
As you look to creating your own business you can now put some boundaries around what you will do and what you won't do.
It would be best if you had goals in all the areas and did not limit your goals to work. Don't think you can separate your business life from your personal life. It wont work.
Go through each area and write a summary about how you envision your life in each of these areas.
Then be very specific about what it will cost you in terms of time and resources to achieve the ideal life you’re designing for yourself. Do not make assumptions.
Look up how much something costs, ask people who have done it how long it takes, and get real information so that you’re not just guessing.
The idea is to design a life that you really want to live, but that is realistic for you to achieve.
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