Goal Setting Part 3: Conduct A No-Holds-Barred Brain Dump

Welcome to Part 3 of our Goal Setting series! We are into week a million sans school and its getting pretty real around here. So, I’m assuming your mood is like mine, and you don’t need more sh** to do. So, I’ll keep this one brief. Grab your coffee (or wine? Zeeeero judgement being lobbed from this side of the court) and ear buds, and that mini notepad and pen you’ve hidden in the TP drawer (which is probably empty since you’re allowed to purchase one roll at a time these days). Ready? Go!

Step #1 (the only step for Part 3): Write down every single goal, dream, ambition, or intention that comes to mind.

Here’s the first step of putting pen to paper. This is where it gets real. But it’s also where it gets fun, creative, and super liberating as you don’t have to edit yourself…yet.

Start here: Ok, so as the title suggests, this step is where you don’t hold back; you dump your purse on the counter; you throw spaghetti against the wall; toss the entire fridge of fruits and veggies in the blender. Write down all the stuff — all of your personal and business goals, dreams, aspirations, intentions, and BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals, read more about this concept by the brilliant business mind of Jim Collins here).

Need a little warm up? Try sitting alone for 10–20 minutes to calm your mind — I highly recommend, and use, Headspace app for meditation. Going inward can jumpstart your creativity and positivity. Not in the mood to be alone? Hop on Zoom with a friend, a spouse, or a colleague. Borrow construction paper and markers from your kids craft kit — which has likely exploded into your entire house by now. And write it all down. You will edit later, ruthlessly, so this is truly a brain dump session, no holds barred.

Remember our rule from #2: Do NOT write down goals for your fantasy self. If you’re channeling someone else and abducting their goals, you will lose your determination and willingness to complete them — and you will fail. Dig deep here and discover, create, and write down your own goals, replete with your current state of affairs.

This could mean that because of COVID, you need to pivot your business because you are legally not allowed to be open. This may be triggering a litany of reactions in your business such as cutting staff, changing distribution channels, moving your services online, etc.

So, make goals that include your new COVID reality. They can always be adjusted in the future (and will be), once this is over — and it will end! Promise!

Think small, medium, and BIG: Brainstorm all types and sizes of goals. You can ask yourself: what would be redemptive for you? Setting goals means time is spent getting there, so how would the exchange of time benefit you?

Remember: Part of this process is discovering what you thought was out of reach, but when the process to reach that big goal is defined, it transforms the goal into a series of small, immediate, and actionable steps. (Note: we will define the steps in another post, so hold steady).

So, dream big — the world is crazy right now and I honestly believe that anything is possible.

Your 2 Rules

Rule #1: Don’t judge what comes up. Judgement comes later in the form of ruthless editing. You won’t know what to edit unless you put down all the stuff. Later, you’ll distill what you’re willing to work for and make sacrifices for in order to achieve.

Rule #2: Use a positive tone (I will do xyz, instead of I will stop xyz) in writing down your goals so as to map to a positive reflex emotionally and intellectually.

Ok, throw all this on a piece of paper and add to it as things come up for you. These will change over time, so be willing to look at these regularly and see if one that was added should be eliminated, or one that you took off should be added again. And, have fun!

Need inspiration?

If you need a nudge, here are some of mine. I’m not 100% sure if I should be sharing these, it feels pretty vulnerable, but I’m sort of in a mood, and am willing to give you whatever you need to get the juices flowing. You’re welcome to steal or edit. Just be honest with whether or not these are really authentic to you, or they just sound good so you want to borrow them. Both are fine, we’ll edit later.

Work/Biz: Write one blog post per week — at least — until, well, infinity. Grow my email list to 5,000 in 2020, and to 20,000 in 2021. Create an online course in the fall 2020. Be a speaker at 4workshops and 4 conferences in 2020, increase that in 2021. Double revenue in 2021. Inspire solopreneurs and small business owners with real tangible tools. Attend 2–3 marketing/entrepreneurial conferences or workshops in 2020. Financial freedom! Outsource social media (I hate doing it for myself, therefore I suck at it). Schedule 1–2 networking coffees per week (or Zoom’s right now).

Personal: Stretch 3–4x/week. Work fewer nights. Sleep 8 hours more than 50% of the week. Exercise with friends, not just alone. Easily be able to pay for college for kids (combined with work goals). Travel internationally (without financial stress) 1–2x/year. *Financial freedom.* Redefine success for me personally on an annual basis. Host lots of dinner parties (post COVID). Do a date night/day/run/ski/ride with my husband 2x/month. Camp with kids a lot in the summer.

Dreams/BHAG: Become a TED speaker. Speak on large stages with several thousand people. Inspire people with significant change. Meet important people who inspire me. Live abroad for a year. Leave a legacy I’m proud of, and I can inspire my kids with as they grow into their teens and beyond. Feel genuine happiness. Have genuine financial freedom.

Ok, now it is YOUR turn. Write it alllll down. And let me know if you’re getting stuck by DM’ing me on IG/FB. I’ll do my best to un-stick you!

The final details!

Ok, that’s it for now! Next I will share Part 4: Create Your Kiss And Kill Lists. If you want more info on this series, visit Part 1 here, or Part 2 here. If you like this post, or this series, share it using links below or to your left. Then follow me on Instagram/Facebook at @rawstrategy, sign up for my emails at the bottom of this website. 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!