It’s that time of year where many of us are setting our sights on how we’d like to finish this new year so that we can kick if off with the actions that align with those goals.
And as we know, the majority of New Years Resolutions are abandoned within the first month of the year.
But not so for you, my friend.
You are a visionary and a powerhouse, so goal-setting and follow-through are nothing new to you.
And yet… we are the first to look for ways we can expand our capacity to not only achieve the thing, but also enjoy the journey there.
I’m happy to share the three aspects of goal setting that I find to be the MOST crucial to fulfilling that big, stretchy declaration AND making the journey a fulfilling experience. (p.s. check out this podcast episode all about goal setting for more nuggets of wisdom and support!)
Now, just to stir the pot on what’s possible for you to generate in six months to a year (these are real results from our folks in the Powerhouse Entrepreneur Program 2022), imagine if these statements described you:
“I hit my goal of $200k revenue – a 25% increase from the previous two years – with a more spacious schedule, more fun, and deeper presence with my family. My vision statement that seemed like an impossible stretch now is a boringly true description of my current life. I have had major breakthroughs in ending the cycles of burnout and financial scarcity by developing a deep sense of self-love, empowering my team and support systems like never before, reinventing my money mindset, and kindly communicating my needs and boundaries.”
“I surpassed my previous job’s salary and achieved almost $100k revenue in my first year of business, all while transforming my relationship to asking for support, prioritizing my family and marriage, trusting in my leadership, and internalizing that money is not how I measure my self-worth. I have rediscovered who I am and what I want on a profound level, and by developing more courage to use my voice powerfully, trust in my worth, and stand for my needs, I have enrolled more clients, transformed my marriage, created a thriving community, and navigated one of the hardest times of my life with calmness and and wellness.”
“I have become a leader and advocate in my university role, resulting in a transformed department, upwards of 500% salary raise, and a thriving team that serves both students’ and my needs – all while buying my first home, getting engaged, prioritizing self-care and personal travel, and redefining my creative self-expression inside and outside of music.”
“I have grown on an exponential level as a person. I have not only laid amazing groundwork for business growth, but I also have also greatly improved my body’s chronic pain, I have new tools to regulate my nervous system and get my needs met, I transformed my support structures and boundaries, and I wrote the manuscript of my book.”
“I own my zone of genius like never before, as a result of gaining greater clarity on exactly what I want my life and business to look like, giving myself permission to hire more support, launching my first group program, and achieving a deeper sense of alignment with my spirit and heart.”
These are real people like you and me. They aren’t different from you in any way, except for maybe what tools they used and what support they had along the way – all of which are available to you, too.
Now let me lay some planks for us as a foundation for this topic. These are some of my core beliefs that I just want to put in front of you before we get into the nitty gritty.
- Achieving extraordinary results are not for “extraordinary people.” They are simply the reflection of the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual game we are currently playing in life. If you want to play a bigger game this year, then each of these parts of you must play a role.
- If you’re looking for more “balance” in your life, you’re likely trying to address a symptom and not the core issue causing that imbalance in your life. I would encourage you to shift your paradigm to focus on alignment. When we seek to “balance” aspects of our life, that tends to make us think we need to take some marbles from this jar and put them in the other until they weigh about the same. It’s an “either/or” framework (like family vs. business, well-being vs. financial growth, creativity vs. productivity, etc.). Instead, consider that when alignment is the goal, you can have your cake and eat it, too. If you want a robust family life, 25% growth in revenue, peace of mind, AND creative fulfillment… then declare it so, and the process to having it all becomes the rewarding challenge you undertake.
- If you don’t already know what your core values are in life, then you’re going to get lost along the path fairly quickly. I encourage you to check out Brené Brown’s Living into Your Values exercise to discern your highest two values, so that you have some guard rails on your highway to success.
So with that said, I’ll dig into the three essential parts that I’ve observed to not only fulfilling the goal, but leading a fulfilling life in the process.
CAST THE VISION
Crafting a compelling vision statement is, far and away, the most important part of setting a S.M.A.R.T. (Specific Measureable Achievable Relevant Time-bound) goal.
If we are just setting ourselves up with a timeline toward the end-result for this year (i.e. quarterly markers or milestones along the way to the ultimate desired outcome), there’s literally zero emotional, physical, or spiritual investment in that path. Sure, your mental game might be here to play ball about “how I’m gonna get there,” but there’s so much more of you available to show up.
Crafting a vision statement to me means you take the time to write a one-page journal entry from the future as if it’s today.
You describe in-depth (in the kind of detail as if you were reflecting on a whole year of extraordinary leaps and bounds, and are now describing your dream life) how your business, relationships, finances, home, family, marriage, body, spirit, mind, lifestyle, faith, and creative life look, feel, taste, smell, and sound.
You talk about what you overcame to get there as if it already happened.
You ascribe visceral, sensory specifics so you can easily see the image in your mind’s eye.
You infuse the palpable joy, excitement, awe, pride, power, resilience, and love it required of you to get here.
I like to challenge myself and my clients to fill a one-page, single-spaced document. When we have more space to fill, our creative minds will fill it. So the more detail and description, the better!
I also recommend when you write this statement, do whatever it takes to set up your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual self to be fully present. Do a short meditation or visualization beforehand, take a brisk walk outside, hug a loved one or furry friend, put your favorite music on… whatever will create the space for you to truly connect with yourself.
DON’T GO IT ALONE
I’m looking directly at you, friend.
Most of my high-achieving clients, friends, and colleagues tend to keep these vision statements to themselves as well as take off down the path like a lone wolf on a scent into the woods.
Part of maintaining integrity with this vision you just created is building and utilizing robust levels of support to help you navigate when you get lost, cold, lonely, afraid, or discouraged along the way.
We ALL experience it.
Every year, there are pivotal points I reach in every aspect of my life, where I need to decide if I should pivot and try something new to get where I want to go, or lean in and trust and walk through the obstacle to the other side. Those small and big decision points are EVERYTHING.
They are where we test our core values, our courage, our commitment, our creativity, and our capacity.
If you are in one of those many decision moments and you send up the emergency flare for support, without having included anyone since the beginning or along the way who KNOWS where you started, where you are, and where you want to go, you’re very likely to get some crappy advice, some well-meaning placating, or fleeting cheerleading that misses the mark on what you truly need.
Support can come in the form of a coach, community, consultant, accountability partner or group, trainer, therapist (although I don’t encourage people to try to use therapy for goal setting… that’s not really what it’s for unless one of your goals is trauma healing or progress in your mental health), mastermind, team members, etc.
The point is you have people outside of yourself to share in the journey who are NOT your good friends and close loved ones. Their job is to love and be there for you – but wearing the hat of an accountability buddy or coach is WAY different than being the soft, safe place for you to land when you just need to be loved up. We can’t expect our inner circle to juggle all of those hats effectively.
We all need that emotional support system, of course. But there’s a reason most people who reach those big, stretchy goals (athletes, performers, authors, CEOs, leaders, and everyone in between) pay for professionally trained support systems.
RAISE THE FLOOR ON SELF-CARE TO RAISE THE CEILING ON YOUR LIFE
My clients will attest to my broken-record repetition that without well-being, we cannot possibly expect ourselves to show up as courageous, committed, and creative as we need to be when challenges arise.
Self-care is not some prescription you will find out of a book, instagram post, course, or perfectly constructed morning routine.
This is where many people get hung up because they see what works for someone else and assume THAT is what it takes to be successful.
Sorry, no dice.
If it works for someone, that’s because it’s meeting their needs.
Your needs are unique to you, your body, your life experience, your emotional and spiritual life, your daily demands, your mindset, your values, and your goals.
So much of my work as a coach is peeling back layers of who people think they should be, what they think they should want, and what they think they should need.
We must get real with ourselves – what does your body actually need to be fully fueled? What does your mind need to be fully present? What does your spirit need to be fully connected? What does your heart need to be fully committed? What gives you energy? What fills you with passion? What is the standard of care you provide for others than you yourself need?
This doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s list of needs and morning routine.
The point is, find a way to get your needs met consistently and reliably, and you’ll be shocked at how you show up differently in life, and what becomes available to you to be, do, have, create, or experience.
By prioritizing our well-being, we maintain alignment and integrity with our core values in not just how we lead with our purpose for others, but also how those same values apply to ourselves. Self-honoring is the key to fulfillment.
My hope is these tools and perspectives give you a spring-loaded launch pad into your vision for this new year. I’d love to hear from you what your takeaways are, or to explore what gaps you see to fill in playing a bigger game in life, creating alignment, knowing your core values, casting your vision, building robust support systems, and discerning what self-honoring self-care actually looks like for you.
I hope you’ll reach out and share your takeaways with me!
