Goal Setting Part 2: Make An Honesty Contract With Yourself

When you come out of this COVID stretch, or season of perpetual lack of knowns (there are so many right now!), I want you feel stronger, not less prepared. So, ask yourself: Do you want to look back on COVID-19 (or whatever season that is lackluster) and be proud of how you became a super star, or live with regret because you chose fear and stagnation? Decisions beget power, ladies and gents. Make the choice.

Ok, so last week, we kicked off the Goal Setting series with Part 1 which was a level set that included answers to questions such as: What is goal setting? Why is goal setting important? What will you get out of it? But the kicker was that we posed a super key question that you’ll need to have in your back pocket as you work through this series. And, that is:

What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve that goal? And, what motivates that willingness to endure?

Now, we are now into the second phase of Goal Setting which is all about Rules of Engagement. You can see the short video here. To have a powerful outcome for you and/or your business, there are a few contracts you need to make with yourself. Read below, print this page, and sign it as this will help sear it into your subconscious that you’re committed. Now’s the time. Tomorrow is not going to wait for you.

Your goal setting rules are as follows:

Rules of Engagement #1 | Cut the BS and be honest with yourself

First, make a promise to yourself that you will cut the BS and be ruthlessly honest with yourself. Don’t write down goals for your fantasy self — you’re guaranteed to fail at achieving them. Promise to cut the goals that, in your gut and your heart, you know you will not follow through on. Why? Because, there is something called goal competition where goals you set can actually compete for your time and motivation. In that, it is very important to focus ONLY on the goal or goals that motivate you. More on this as we move through the series. But, this is where that question shows up again: What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve that goal? And, what motivates that willingness to endure?

Rule of Engagement #2 | Block the time you know you’ll get

Strategy 1: Put a time and place on your calendar that is unmovable. Why? There is research that shows that if you attach a specific place, time, and date for something to occur, you’re 2–3x more likely to execute. So, for example, Monday through Thursday at 2pm for 30 minutes in my office (which might be your car, or on the toilet, at the moment, like me). Or, 20 minutes every Monday for 6 weeks in a locked bedroom. As Marie Forleo says, “if it’s not scheduled, it’s not real.” Make it real, don’t waste time.

Strategy 2: The second way you can block the time is to affiliate it with another habit, a habit that is second nature to you. For example, before you brush your teeth, you floss, right? Well, most nights anyway. Do the same with time blocks: bump them up against something that is a non-negotiable for you so that the new thing becomes linked with something that is automatic in your day.

What you’ll need for this: For this goal setting exercise, in total (the entire series of posts), put 20-minute blocks on your calendar for 6 days, or 6 weeks (1x/wk). Expect about 2–3 total hours of time to really clarify your goals. Go, now. Put time/place/date on your calendar, then come back and keep reading. K?

Rule of Engagement #3 | Grab a pen and paper…the real kind

Lastly, pick up a notebook, like an actual lined notebook that you can write in. Steal one from your kids, order a Moleskin on Amazon (my time tested fave ever since I was a full-time writer!), do a curbside pick-up from the local office supply store. Do what you need to do to put an actual pen to actual paper. Why? There is research to back up that physically writing this stuff down will change how your brain interprets the content, will create deeper context for the goals to make them real and tangible, and imprint them in your conscious mind, as well as subconscious, more thoroughly.

SIGNED _________________________________________________

DATE ___________________________________________________

The final details!

Ok, that’s it for now! Next I will share Part 3: No Holds Barred Brain Dump.

If you want more info on this series, visit Part 1 here. If you like this post, or this series, share it! Then follow me on Instagram/Facebook at @rawstrategy, sign up for my emails here. And PLEASE leave a comment below on how this has impacted you, or shoot me a note with any clarifying questions — I’m here to help you through this process!

Want more?

If you or your business need a deeper dive that his customized, reach out! DM me, email me, call, text, whatever and we’ll schedule a time to do a business-specific Zoom session (typically anywhere from 2–6 hours depending on your business) where we get really specific on your challenges, and narrow down the exact systems and solutions you can implement in your business now.

My vow to you is that I will ask the hard questions to get you on the path toward action. Once COVID is finito, we can explore even more in-person or group training sessions for your business. Ok, thanks for reading. More soon!