Last year, we sold everything we owned except what fit into a 1 meter x 1 meter square.
That “square of stuff” was tossed onto a ship headed towards Czech Republic. OK, it was actually headed towards Rotterdam because geography will show there is no ocean in Czech Republic.
2017 was a year of big changes in my life.
I also had big goals for myself and my budding business.
- Lose weight
- Grow my subscribers list
- Have 6 mini courses
- Learn Czech
and so forth.
While 2017 was certainly exciting, I can’t say the same for the progress of my business. Things happened… but nothing remarkable. I mean, I just described them as things, how un-exciting can it get?
I certainly did not end up where I set out to be.
If I’m choosing to be honest here, my goals for 2017 we’re poorly defined, and that’s saying it nicely. They lacked clarity, priority, actionable steps, focus and commitment.
They were just words and wants.
Instead of staying the course, I jumped around and had my foot in everything. I took one step in 20 directions instead of 20 steps in one direction. Vague goals produce vague results. And vague is what I got.
“If you set vague goals, you get vague results. “
And here I am, on the “New Year, New Me!” bandwagon.
This year, I invested in myself. A pretty penny no less. I enrolled in a 52 week course led by my favorite figure in the industry, Benjamin Hardy. He’s a writer, psychologist, and contributor for Huffington Post, Forbes, and Inc. He has risen to the top in an astoundingly short amount of time, and not by accident. Fortunately for me, he also created an intense course to learn how to emulate that same momentum for 2018.
But it’s no walk in the park.
It’s not some set of templates or steps to learn how to replicate his same business. It’s not about marketing or sales funnels. If I had to rename the course, I’d call it “Get called out on your sh*t, break free from it, and then kick ass meeting your goals” course.
It’s mentally intensive. There’s a lot of self reflection and responsibility. There are weekly lessons, 90 day challenges, books to read, journaling, lifestyle changes (like the 5AM club, and it’s exactly what you think it is), goal setting, accountability and more. In this course, you will be rewarded for crushing it and penalized for flailing out.
I was worried about making such and investment and commitment when I already can’t seem to find time. Growing a business, raising a toddler and traveling full time doesn’t lend itself to routine and consistency. And then I realized, that is exactly why I need to join this NOW!
“You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes, unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour” -Zen adage
So I jumped in head first and here we are.
First Task at hand
Our first assignment was to write our top 5 goals for 2018. A little list of wishes was not enough.
We needed to:
- List our top 5 goals for 2018
- Identify what is stopping me now from achieving that goal
- Determine the steps needed to get to that goal
- Pinpoint WHY this goal is important to me
This took a lot more than “lose weight”.
I had to really dig into each goal. By identifying what is currently keeping me from the goal now, I was able to take ownership of how I got to where I am in the first place. Doing that exercise naturally led me to the next part, which was to determine the steps I need to take to reach my goal. (it’s basically undoing all that stuff I listed is stopping me-duh!)
And then I got to the “Why” part.
This really pushes you to get to the bottom of where you true motivation is.
It’s easy to say ‘I want to lose weight”
but “why?”
To fit into my pre-baby clothes
but “why”
To feel confident and stylish
but “why?”
And so it goes, deeper and deeper
7 levels of WHY
We were only required to use up to 3 sentences for the “Why” part. But the overachiever in me wanted to try out an exercise I had learned about, The 7 levels of WHY. To go seven levels deep questioning your “why” pushes you to get the real core of your motivation for things. And it is from your deepest motivation that you can push yourself through any hurdles.
You want to eat those fries? Ask yourself the 7 layers of “why”. I promise you’ll end up at the most philosophical purpose for those fries. It’s kinda amazing.
Here’s a snapshot of how it worked for one of my goals
My Top 5 Goals for 2018
As promised, here are my top 5 goals for 2018 (for all the public to see, yikes!) I’m clicking “publish” and making this sh*t real.
GOAL 1:
50lb weight loss and/or fit into my pre-baby clothes
What’s stopping me now: Living on the road, lack of routine, true commitment.
WHAT WILL I DO: Make a true/no turning back commitment, create a routine that can be flexible but consistent, keep a food log, join an accountability group and track my progress.
WHY: Confidence. Health. Comfort.
GOAL 2:
Not spiral in to defeat, anger and judgement so quickly
What’s stopping me now: Not being consistent with taking time for my self mentally and spiritually. Being physically run down from lack of sleep.
WHAT WILL I DO: Commit to a realistic routine that involves the things that keep me balanced. I may not be able to do an hour of yoga and an hour of meditation, but I certainly can commit to 10 minutes a day.
WHY: For my own mental health and well being. It feels silly to get all riled up only come to the realization later of how unnecessary the spiral was. Also for my son, I cannot teach him to deal with issues more consciously if cannot do it myself.
GOAL 3:
Create and launch my first paid course
What’s stopping me now: setting the proper time aside to do the work. (lack of routine or schedule)
WHAT WILL I DO: I am setting aside planning days to get thoughts and plans in order and will be in one set place for the next 3 months which will allow for routine and schedule.
GOAL 4:
Have all the details ready for my first (official) Buildabiz retreat
What’s stopping me now: The retreat is the end of my funnel, I need to have the first steps ready and going before I can justify focusing on the last step.
WHAT WILL I DO: Get the first steps in order (growing list, determine course focus, launching courses, etc)
WHY: This is my ultimate dream for my business combining my desire to help people reach their dreams and providing for my family, all while introducing people to travel and enjoying travel myself.
GOAL 5:
Replace my income from private clients/contracts with income from working with groups and courses.
What’s stopping me now: Clear definition of my niche and specific offerings. Been stuck in analysis paralysis and wanting to offer everything because everything is important, right? (such a typical entrepreneur)
WHAT WILL I DO: Get clear and specific on my why, my niche, and my first course focus.
WHY: For me, being dependent on private clients takes away time from developing the true business I want. It also leaves me at the mercy of their choices and circumstances for my income.
Now that I’ve identified these goals I can analyze each opportunity and direction asking “does this serve my #1–5 goals?” If the answer is no, then I know to move on and not get distracted.
Wanna try it out?
You can use the same worksheet HERE
It’s basic and gets the job done. (None of my goals had anything to do with design-just sayin’)
I invite you to follow along the 52 Weeks of Momentum course, FREE!
I’ll be sharing the lessons and steps I learn from this 52 week course every week on my Tanya MFK Facebook Page. This is in addition to the live lessons, skill building workshops, tips, tools and support already offered in the group.
Join Here: Tanya MFK
And for those ready for a deeper commitment, there will be an additional accountability group with assignments, worksheet, and tracking for the year.
Join the Accountability Group
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Twitter: @Tanyamfk
Facebook: TanyaMFK
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