How to Set Goals

Entrepreneurs are familiar with setting goals. Any leadership and entrepreneurial material such as books, conferences, keynote speakers and blogs frequently cover the topic of how to set goals. As a small business coach, I consistantly see entrepreneurs stumble across one of the inherently wrong mindsets and failure programs surrounding goals. Understanding these failure programs will ensure that goals are properly set and achieved.

The majority of business owners are familiar with SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Achievable, Realistic, and Timely are all letters in the acronym SMART. This means that your goal must be expressed as having all five of these things occur. I want to lose weight, for instance, is not a SMART goal. I will lose 15 pounds in 60 days is a SMART goal. Goals should be written down and kept visible every day, suggest other leadership experts and speakers. Since your reflection is the first thing you see in the morning and serves as a reminder of your accountability for achieving your goals, I always advise writing on it. Last but not least, goal-setting experts advise having a compelling WHY for your objectives.

Sounds good right?  Ready to go set those goals and try to achieve them?

I have been setting goals in this manner for a long time. Over the years, I’ve hit a lot of targets and missed a lot of them. In my experience, this is one of the overarching themes, energies, mindsets, and observations I have noticed. The word “goal” has the same connotations for me as “try” or “attempt.” It carries the stigma of “failure with honor.”

Example, I will try to get this work done by 4.  If I get it done, great I win.  If not, at least I tried.  Failure with honor means you can fail yet give yourself credit for trying by attempting to make yourself feel better for missing your goal.  The word goal, to me, fits that category.  My goal is to lose 15 pounds in 60 days.  If I do, great, I win. 

If not, I tried my best. Every small business owner and entrepreneur I have ever coached has failure with honor strewn throughout their vocabulary and neural network. Try, need, have to, should, want, will, and be able are examples of words that fall into this category and will kill and stifle your company. I was a victim of this killer over the years as well. Look to the left in the image above. It seems like a worthy objective, no? Look at the failure words strewn throughout this goal that seems SMART. How many are present?

So now what? If setting a goal has a failure with honor component, what do we do?

We set outcomes.  An outcome happens, period!

Outcomes are what happen no matter what.  An outcome is not wishing or hoping that something is going to happen.  An outcome is not something that is trying to happen.  It just happens, done, end of story. An outcome must be SMART, be written and have a strong why just like a goal.  An outcome however, is a different language, it is a different energy, it is a different mindset.  When you set an outcome, vision and visualize that outcome, and declare with absolute certainty that no matter what, this outcome happens, period, end of story, now its time to work.  There is no trying, just happening.  There is no needing to, just doing.  There is no at least I tried, you either do or don’t and you make that decision.

Do you create outcomes instead of goals? Are you the assassin of failure with honor’s designated target? Are you making goals that may or may not come true, but it’s okay because at least you tried? Are you trying, having to, needing to, wanting to?

I would enjoy reading your comments surrounding these two ideas of goals vs. outcomes.  As always, you can get caffeinated with me on a weekly basis by receiving my weekly newsletter and other free business building tools by clicking the coffee cup to the right.  I will send you a couple of free practical tools to use in your business when you do. I will also explain what is up with this coffee cup, and why I am so highly caffeinated all the time.

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