With Goals, Clarity is King

Be Clear on Your Path

Making business and life goals for the year?

In the last post, The Minimalist’s Guide to Goal Setting, I explained how to make a list of items you wish to bring into your life.

Step 5 from that post is: “Break down each of the five items in your original “Want” column.  What would it look/feel like to have that item in your life?  What elements would be there?”  What would it be like for your business?

This is where Clarity is vital.

Define exactly what the goal is.  Continuing with my example from the last post, in my original list  I had “Learn new things on a regular basis”.  The concept is there, but not the clarity.

Since I want to “learn new things” to grow my business, I can add clarity by breaking the item down.  What specific areas of business do I want to learn more about?

• Growing the number of subscribers of The Her Next Step podcast
• Setting up Systems in my business to make repetitive tasks easier and take up less time

Break Down the List Again

To “grow the number of subscribers” I could sign up for a teleclass from a trusted resource like The Audacity to Podcast.  Or research on Google “how to increase podcast subscribers”.  See how we now have action steps and more clarity?

Use Your Whys

Remember the Why column across from the Want column?  Use your Whys to add clarity to your Wants.  Your Why column may even eliminate some steps.  For example, you could list “Get a shiny new car” in the Want column.  When you go over to the Why column, you realize you want that shiny new car to get around and to impress your friends.  Is the shiny new car and the hard work to get it worth just impressing your friends?  Would a less expensive used car still fulfill your needs?

Only you can decide.

What were some of your “Wants” for 2013?  Please share them with us in the comments.