Goal Setting Part 1: What Is Goal Setting? And Is It For Me?

Welcome to Series #1: Goal Setting

We are living through a pandemic, and now a massive, global movement for racial equality (long overdue, IMO). The world can feel upside down, and can make your life feel the same way. But that does NOT mean it’s time settle. Rather, now is the time we need to do some post-apocalyptic goal setting for ourselves and our small businesses. Because when this craziness is over, you’ll want to be prepared to hit the ground running, rather than panting trying to catch up.

Best way to do that? Start with ruthless goal setting, and tailor them to your new reality. Here is what you need to know to get started. Then look for the next Goal Setting post (No Holds Barred Brain Dump) in a few days.

Note: Want to see the quick-hit video for today’s post? See here!

Why goals, why now?

Goal setting is such a hugely powerful tool — and key factor — in crafting a strong trajectory for your business, and personal life. Sure, it may sound scary, or feel like an intimidating and drawn-out process that you frankly don’t have time for right now (thanks, life). BUT, I’ve got your back and am breaking it down into super short action items so you can gain traction without the overwhelm. If you follow my lead, this process will clarify your vision, save you mad amounts of time, and get you on a clear path toward execution — I promise.

Who am I to teach you this? I’ve been building content and marketing infrastructure for brands for close to 15 years — NBC, Twitter, Toyota, National Restaurant Association, tech startups, trade orgs, solo shops, you name it. And, prior to starting any project with a client — whether it be with a solopreneur, small biz, enterprise-level brand, etc — I walk them through this process. I have refined it over the years, and it always helps define where we’re going, the systems we’ll need to get there, and gets us really clear on potential challenges we may encounter — so we can avoid them.

So, if you need to, lock yourself in your bathroom for a few minutes — seriously, go, now. Grab the teeny pad of paper and pen you hid in your TP drawer — hey, its empty, unless you’re a hoarder? You with me?

What is goal setting? And, is it for me?

Some would define goal setting as the process of “identifying a target or objective and putting the plans against it to achieve that goal.” But, first of all, that’s super boring, and secondly, it misses the most important piece. As James Clear, author of Atomic Habits says, the important piece is asking yourself some hard questions (and being painfully honest with yourself) such as: What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve that goal? What level of pain are you willing to endure to reach that thing? Are you willing to deal with the boring and un-fun stuff that comes long before the glamorous outcome?

And, what motivates that willingness to endure? That is THE KEY.

We want the process to be fun, and full of joy, but let’s get real — saying you want to run a marathon is really seductive, but its very different than putting in the agonizing hours on the road, alone, in the dark, dealing with the swollen joints, and mind-numbing recovery workouts to actually run the race. The path sort of sucks sometimes. So, will you put in those hours if the promise land is months away? Only you can answer that. But first…

Why should I set goals?

There are a few really important reasons to set goals, and now more than ever, you can see tremendous results by doing this — in your life and in your biz.

Reason #1: First, it’s important to understand that the GOAL of goal setting is to outline the path to get there and the systems you’ll need to actually get across the finish line. (The specific systems and processes you can use is something I’ll cover later on in this series). Just know that identifying HOW you’ll get there is as important as the direction in which you’re heading, and it will create the ability to make progress.

Reason #2: It will clarify your vision, your priorities and your values. When those three are clear, you can create on-point messaging and marketing mechanisms to speak to the heart of your customer’s issues (or your personal issues or spouse’s if you’re doing this for your personal life). If your priorities are clear, your customers (or spouse) will connect with you, and become your advocate — for life.

Reason #3: Making decisions gives you power. So, setting up your path allows you to take control of how you get to your destination. It gives shape to the process of transforming and growing your business, or your personal life. If you’re running your own business and feel less in control than ever (due to COVID, laziness, or?), then this will help you gain back that control and move your business in the most effective direction that is timely, relevant, and meaningful.

Reason #4: If done properly, and the right goals are elevated and prioritized, they can act as a catalyst for action. They can provide major motivation for you, and provide a clear path of execution.

Reason #5: It will inevitably save you time, money, and spinning your wheels on useless tasks that don’t move the needle. And, we need all the time and money we can get right now (merci beaucoup, COVID).

Reason #6: The way you behave directly influences and impacts the way others behave toward you. If they see you as a leader, they will treat you as such. If they see you as a GSD-er (get sh** done-er), they will trust that you can get sh** done for them too (hi, new client?!). If they see you offering tons of value, being kind, being grateful, they know that’s what you expect in return.

The final details!

Ok, that’s it for now! Next I will share Part 2: Rules of Engagement. If you want more info on this series, visit Raw Strategy. If you like this post, or this series, share it using links below, and follow me on social media at @rawstrategy, sign up for my emails here, or like my page on Facebook.