With just a few days left until the new year, we’re taking a deep dive into your goals for 2023, with a five-day goal creation series. Today we’re talking about three things to consider as you choose goals that actually matter to you in 2023.
So, if you’re ready to accomplish bigger things in 2023 – then make sure to click subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode in this series. And then, let’s get started.
Links for This Episode
Podcast Episode Recommendations
- #35: How To Use Hard Times to Create a Bigger Impact
- #36: How to Clarify Your Purpose + Vision for 2023
- #37: How to Create a Theme for 2023 That Keeps You Motivated All Year Long
Schedule Your Session Today!
I hope you are loving this episode, I just wanted to jump in here to let you know that I’m opening a few additional Mama Business Strategy Sessions over the next couple of weeks AND I’m even giving you a New Year’s Bonus.
Here’s the deal: in order to have a successful business, you have to have paying clients and customers. That means, knowing who your ideal client is and how to reach them, understanding why your client should choose you over the competition, and designing marketing systems that work to generate leads – over and over again – without sacrificing your family.
That’s exactly what our one-hour Mama Business Strategy is designed to help you do. After the session, you’ll be able to:
- Make your first sale (or 10th) without feeling salesy, sleazy, or annoying everyone you know on social media.
- Overcome decision paralysis when it comes to the practical and technical side of running your business.
- And sleep well at night knowing you don’t have to do “all the things” in order to be successful.
Plus, you’ll know the next right action step to take to jumpstart the next phase of your business life and help you achieve those long-term goals. AND – BONUS I’m offering a New Year’s Bonus to all Mama Business Podcast listeners.
When you schedule your strategy session with me and use code NEWYEAR (all one word), you’ll receive $25 off the total price. But, this coupon code is only good until Friday January 6, 2023 – so don’t wait!
Schedule your session today at sarahbrumley.com/strategy. Once again, that’s sarahbrumley.com/strategy and use code NEWYEAR. Now, let’s get back to the episode!
How to Choose Goals that ACTUALLY Matter for 2023
Well, hey there and welcome to the fourth episode in our 2023 Goals Creation series. I’m your host, Sarah Brumley, and I’m so glad you are here with me today for what I believe will truly be a game changer for your upcoming year. Just a quick mention that this series is meant to take you step-by-step through the process, so if you’ve missed any of the previous episodes, you’ll definitely want to check those out first before you get started with this one.
And…make sure you click subscribe so that you don’t miss the rest of this series because we have one more episode this week designed to help you clarify your goals and make a bigger impact in this upcoming year.
The line up is as follows:
Monday: How To Use Hard Times to Create a Bigger Impact
Tuesday: How to Clarify Your Purpose + Vision for 2023
Wednesday: How to Create a Theme for 2023 That Keeps You Motivated All Year Long
Thursday: How to Choose Goals that ACTUALLY Matter for 2023
Friday: How to Create a Kick-Butt Action Plan + Achieve Your 2023 Goals
Today we are actually going to put pen to paper and create your goals for 2023. I know, I know – it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, and it’s here! So, grab a notebook and a pen – OR my free resource to help you accomplish this and let’s get started. Also, if don’t have that free workbook resource, you can grab that at sarahbrumley.com/goals.
So, it’s pretty simple. Remember that big vision we created on day 2? The one that had you brain dumping everything you could possibly dream of for the upcoming year? And then we broke that down into categories so that we could see what we might want to accomplish in all of the different areas of our lives in order to see that big dream come true?
Well, today it’s time to turn those big dreams into actual goals. So, take a few minutes now to look at each category you have. What goal will best serve you in achieving your 2023 vision in each of those categories?
As you do this, though – it’s important to consider the following three things.
Does this goal fit into my yearly vision?
It can be really easy to just throw random things in here. In fact, I mentioned that when we talked on Tuesday that once we start looking at categorizing things, we often forget the big picture and not only play a smaller game, but end up off track.
Not this year mama.
This year we are focused on achieving our BIG VISION. Achieving BIG RESULTS. Right now, all we are doing is breaking down that vision into smaller chunks we can act on.
So, as you start to create goals in each category, do that with the bigger vision in mind.
For example, let’s say that one of the things in my big vision is that I want my family to have a healthy savings account set aside in case of emergency. In that case, it probably doesn’t serve that greater vision if I create a goal in my friends category of going out to dinner each week. To each their own, obviously, but I’d know for me – the likelihood of achieving that bigger vision would be slim to none.
So, take a look at your goals through the lens of your big vision. It’ll pay off in the long-term.
Is this a goal that actually means something to me or just a “should”?
Sigh. This one is a hard one because we always have things we think we “should” do. But that doesn’t mean they really are or that they actually mean something to us.
The truth is that when we create goals based on “shoulds”, we are much more likely to fail. Why? Because they don’t have meaning behind them. They aren’t truly important to us.
So, my challenge to you is to let go of the “should” mentality and focus on the things that actually matter.
Let’s talk about this in terms of health. Maybe you think you “should” lose weight this year. That’s great if that’s something that really matters to you. But if you find yourself dreading the actual process of doing so – that’s a “should” and not something you are going to stay motivated to accomplish.
If, on the other hand, you want to lose weight because you know that when you do, you’ll have more energy and show up better for your kids and family – not to mention be able to confidently embrace swimsuit season – then you’ll have motivation that will likely keep you going even when you don’t want to see another leafy green ever again.
See how that works?
And maybe if you’re feeling a “should” around losing weight, it’s because you’ve misplaced your focus. Maybe you’re spending too much time on the couch and that needs to change. Or maybe you recognize that you don’t take your kids to the park as much as you used to. So, before you start inserting “shoulds”, make sure you truly know what matters.
And this applies in ANY of those categories we’ve talked about.
Is this goal a S.M.A.R.T. goal?
SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely – and, essentially, if you follow the process, then you come up with goals designed to produce results.
You do want results, right? Me too.
Okay, so how do we use this system to create those result-producing goals?
Let’s use the weight loss example just because it’s something that many, if not all of use can understand and relate to.
Okay, so let’s say that your goal is to lose weight. Great.
Now, let’s make it SPECIFIC. That’s the first step. How much weight do you want to lose? 10 pounds? Okay…sounds great.
How will we MEASURE the success of this goal? In this case, it’s pretty simple. You’ll probably use a scale, right? And if you’ve lost 10 pounds, you’ll know you achieved your goal.
Can you ATTAIN this goal? Well, if you have ten pounds to lose, then it’s very likely, right? Now, if you are already underweight – the answer would be no. So, make sure to ask yourself if it’s actually possible.
Is this goal RELEVANT? Think:
- Why do I want to achieve this goal?
- Is it going to make me a better person or be something that others need from me?
ULTIMATELY – the question is, why does this matter? And…we kinda went into this with our “should” conversation already today, so you can understand how that works. In this case, the weight loss goal might be relevant because you have a beach vacation planned for the summer and want to feel great in that swim suit.
What’s my TIMELINE? Every goal needs a timeline so you know what to accomplish by when.
In this cae, we stated that the goal is relevant because we have a beach vacation scheduled. So, likely we want to lose that 10 pounds by, let’s say, June 1.
Okay, so how does this play out into an actual goal? Well, it probably sounds something like this:
My goal is to lose 10 pounds by June 2023, so that I can feel confident in my swimsuit on our beach vacation. I will know I have accomplished this goal when the scale says I’m 10 pounds lighter.
It’s specific, we can measure it, it’s attainable, it relates to our big vision, and it’s timely – we know exactly when we need to lose that 10 pounds by.
So much different than just saying “my goal is to lose weight”, right?
Take Action: Choose Goals that Actually Matter to YOU in 2023
Alrighty mama, now it’s your turn to go through each of the categories you listed out and create goals that fit into your yearly vision, mean something to you, and follow the SMART guidelines.
This week has been focused on creating goals and a vision for YOU and your life as a whole, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be some areas of your life that might need to have more than one goal. For example, you might have a couple different goals for business: maybe you want to create a new offer AND hit a business revenue goal at the same time. So, definitely include those goals in this process as well. I’ve left you plenty of room to do just that in your workbook pages.
Remember, it’s not about HOW you will get it done at this point. It’s about WHAT you plan to accomplish.
Tomorrow, tomorrow we will dig into the HOW by putting together a kick-butt action plan that will take your goals from paper to results. Sound good? Well then, make sure to subscribe if you haven’t already so you don’t miss it.
I know from personal experience that I am more likely to accomplish what I set out to do if I am accountable to someone. So make sure to grab that Mama Business Strategy Session by going to sarahbrumley.com/strategy and using code NEWYEAR to get that $25 off. I can’t wait to celebrate progress, strategize your plan, and cheer you on moving forward. And you know me, mama, I am definitely cheering you on.
Have an amazing day and I’ll chat with you tomorrow.
