Article Contributed by Colleen Slaughter
You might be tired of hearing how important it is to set goals, but stop and ask yourself if any of these statements sound familiar to you. Be honest!
- I try to achieve my goals, but it never seems to work out.
- I have big goals, but they seem so far out of reach.
- I really want to accomplish my goals, but I don’t know where to start.
Each of these statements hints at something deeper. Yes, we may have “goals” that we want to achieve, but if we lack clarity – if we’re fuzzy and vague in our goal-setting – how can we succeed?
In this post, I’m going to provide you with some tips to get your goals organized. But let’s start with some inspiring stats first!
How Women are Rockin It in Business
The numbers are in. The Womenable report commissioned by American Express “OPEN State of Women-Owned Businesses 2014” says:
- As of the year 2014, there were almost 9.1 million women-owned enterprises.
- From 1997 to 2014, the number of women-owned firms grew at 1.5 times the national average.
- Revenue and employment growth among women-owned firms exceeds that of all other firms except the largest, publicly traded corporations.
- Women of color now account for 1 in 3 (or 32%) women-owned firms in the US, up from 17% 17 years prior.
- Over the 1997-2014 period, there has been an average net increase of 591 women-owned firms each day.
“This current publication reinforces trends we have been seeing in this and other research – that the number of women-owned firms continues to increase at rates exceeding the national average,” the report authors declare.
Joining the Ranks of Successful Women
You might be wondering what these statistics have to do with goal-setting. Well, if you want to join the ranks of successful women business owners, you have to start somewhere, right?
And one of the best places to start is with an evaluation of your goals. Few of us actually have clear, measurable goals to work with – and fewer still have these important goals written down.
If you’re not sure any of this will make a difference, the results of a study conducted on the 1979 Harvard MBA program should be enough to convince you…
Grad students were asked a simple question: Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?
Just 3% said they had written goals and plans; 13% had goals but they didn’t write them down. 84% had no goals at all.
Ten years later, that same group was interviewed once more. The results were astonishing: Remember that 13% who had goals, but just didn’t write them down? They were earning twice the amount of the 84% who had no goals.
It gets better. The miniscule 3% who had goals and wrote them down were earning an average of 10x more than the other 97% of the class combined!
Get Clear on Your Goals Today
Follow these simple steps to get you on the right path to success:
- Start with a vision. Establish what you really want. If you don’t even know what you’re truly looking for, you’ll have a tough time mustering up the motivation to achieve anything. Ask yourself questions like “What does a day in my ideal life look like?” and “What do I want to create in my life?”
- Write down your goals. In the first step, you hopefully gave yourself the chance to think big. Now start working on a list of measurable goals. Include clear details that will help you determine how to best achieve them.
- Set milestones. Depending on what your goals are, some may take a while to complete. Instead of focusing on the “big picture”, break the biggest steps down into smaller and more achievable steps. Don’t worry if you’re not moving along as quickly as you’d like. You can always make adjustments as you go along.
- Stop to appreciate your accomplishments. Think about how you’ll reward yourself when you achieve a milestone. Have the confidence to celebrate big and small milestones, taking the time to reflect on the journey that you’ve taken. Celebrating your accomplishments is a great motivator, too!
- Reevaluate as necessary. No one ever said you had to follow your written goals to the letter. In fact, reevaluating your goals – and making adjustments where needed – is a healthy part of the entire process.
About the Author
Colleen Slaughter, founder of Authentic Leadership International, is a proven coach with a remarkable ability to motivate women to cultivate greater authenticity and fulfillment at home and in the workplace. Colleen’s dynamic experience allows her to skillfully guide her clients to navigate roadblocks and develop practical solutions to accomplish both personal and professional goals.