Goal Setting with Purpose

Wow, just like that 2021 is gone and we are in 2022.  Can you believe how fast 2021 went?  All of the events that happened in our world, the good, the bad, the ugly.  How about you, did you accomplish all your goals in 2021?

Chances are that 2021 had us stumbling a bit in our goals and we also needed to shift our goals with the everchanging environment. 

This year when we sit down in some of our quiet time to think about 2022 we need to make sure we have some firepower behind our goals.  That’s right just because we have a goal does not mean we will achieve the goals.  We need to have a “WHY” behind our goals.  The why will keep us moving forward when times get tough.

There are areas we can grow and should be focused on that for 2022.  I will be taking the next two weeks to plan out 2022 to make it a better than this past year.  The reason why, is if we are not growing, we are dying.  That is right we need to constantly be growing.  I choose growth and for that I need a plan for whatever I am shooting for.  Even if I do not hit the bullseye ever time. 

I will be sitting down to make a plan for 2022 by looking at where I want to be.  It’s like shooting a long-range shot, we need to plan before we pull the trigger to hit the target accurately.  To do this I start with the end in mind.  When I was a child, I used to do mazes all the time.  I loved them.  I learned early on that to find the path through the maze, it was easier actually start at the finish and work my way back to the start.  Try it if you don’t believe me.

I was able to attend an event at the church I attend and there was this thing called a “purpose statement” that they were talking about.  Before you leave because I talked about church, hear me out.  This purpose statement aligned with my DISC profile, my passions, and my gifts that I have.  This purpose statement is “WHY” I am here.  Why I am on this earth and why I matter.

This purpose statement is a compass when things get tough, or we get knocked off course by something like a pandemic.  This purpose statement will allow us to focus on why we are here so we can dust ourselves off and get back to putting one step forward at a time if needed.  It will keep us moving forward.  Those that do not have purpose are easily tossed back and forth like a boat by the waves.  Those that know where they are going and why, will keep moving in the direction they need to go and find that extra strength from within to keep going.

This means yes, we need to pause and really thing about our why before we just start throwing goals up on the wall.  We really need to focus in on this target if we want to hit it.  Take time to understand your purpose and you will have more energy and determination to achieve your goals.

I will have quite a few stretch goals for myself and my business to grow in 2022.  I have personal goals that I will also be putting in for this year.  All of them will align with my purpose which will give them more strength and foundation. 

I will also use the EOS system (insert link https://www.eosworldwide.com/hubfs/EOS-VTO.pdf) for planning goals.  This is a fantastic system that anyone can use for work, or personal goals.  I have adapted it to work for me in both areas of my life. 

The key is to still plan because if we don’t aim at anything, we’ll hit it every time.

We need to make plans even if we do not hit them all.  It’s okay not to hit all of our goals, but we need to try to grow and move forward, not get down on ourselves, and have that target we are trying to strive for each and every day.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

The Way To Keep Focus On Your Goals

Good morning everyone,

Back on November 9th when I talked about setting goals, I stated that I would spend December creating my goals for 2020.  An interesting thing happened during that time that I think may benefit you as well. 

I read a book called “Get a Grip” which is a business book for their entrepreneurial operating system.  In the book the leadership rights down the core values, the core focus statement “mission statement” and a great deal of other details.  It’s a great book if you have not gone through a process to create a mission statement for your organization / family yet.

While reading the book and understanding the concepts I thought about how this could work for our Family, my business, and my personal goals.  My wife and I took time between Christmas and New Years to discuss what we would want out family to look like and our core focus.  We decided that using this format to provide purpose and direction for our family would be worth the effort.  We drafted the following below Focus and Values:

Core Focus

To know our worth in God and be a bright light to those around us of hope, help, and encouragement

Core Values

·        Grow Relationship with God and Each Other

·        Financially Smart and Generous Giving

·        Fit and Healthy Choices

·        Helpful and Encouraging Each Other and Celebrate Each Other’s Wins

·        Fail Forward Fast for Constant Growth

·       Great Communication

From there each of us in our family can point our goals towards these Core Values and Focus we have as a family.  When we want to give up on a goal, we will have these values and focus to keep us moving forward to achieving those goals.

See goals independent of each other are usually not as strong and can’t sustain for long periods of time.  The Core Focus and the Core Values are your WHY we are doing what we are setting out to accomplish.  Having a strong WHY will give us that added boost to keep going when the obstacles of the year come flying at us.  Now we have a compass to use when I want to give up on a goal, or when distractions happen.

The other things that are nice from this process is that we have set the sheet up (pictured as the background for this blog post) to be reviewed every quarter.  Each Quarter we can sit down and review the goals to see where we are at achieving the annual goals and the goals we set out to accomplish that quarter.  We can also look at the issues that might come up this quarter, or from the last quarter that may try to limit us from success.

Last year I had 31 independent goals that I set out to achieve.  I achieved about half of them.  This year I have less goals and goals that are derived from the Core Focus and Core Values.  These goals will fit in the following areas:

Fitness, Family, Business, and Growth in myself. 

What are your Core Values and Focus for 2020?   What will you use to keep you motivated when the obstacles of life come hurling at you?

If you would like a free copy of the goals sheet we used post a comment, or email me and I will send a copy out to you.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Setting Better Goals for 2020

What do your goals look like for this year?

How many have you hit in 2019? 

Do you have goals that focus on all aspects of life such as finances, relationships, work goals, fitness, etc?

As we are head into the last part of the year, I bet if I asked most would say we have not hit all of their goals.   Each year people start with new year’s resolutions in hopes to having a better new year.  Most people fail to keep those resolutions past the first 60 days.  Some go a step further than a resolution and set goals, but those goals are abandoned quickly as well.

I was sitting in the audience a couple weeks ago for a message that revolved around setting financial goals.  There was a smaller part of the message that I think went unnoticed by most of the attendees about how to set solid goals.  It was so intriguing that I am putting it into practice for 2020.

Currently I have a list of goals in my workout area so I can look at them every day I am working out.  As you can see in the picture with this blog post I have hit a few and missed on others.  I have quite a few goals for different areas of my life.  Actually I have too many goals that are all independent of themselves for the most part.

This year I will take December to plan my goals again as I have done in the past couple of years, but with this simple new strategy.  Instead of thinking about goals I want to achieve for the next year individually, the focus will be on goals that help me get to the future self.  I will put the focus on where I want to be in five years from now and what goals will help me get there.  Having this frame of mind when creating goals will allow me to look forward into where I want to be in the future instead of just hitting a goal.  The goals will align and contribute to my future self. 

The future vision statement will be my compass pointing to true North.  I will have goals for spending time with the kids and my wife in their interests, but it will be because my goal in the next five years will focus on having a closer family.  When my goals are challenged, I can look at the future self and keep the vision of where I want to go which will fuel me to hit that goal.

Instead of the goals being independent, they will work together to achieve my vision of my future self.  Using this strategy will allow me to pull meaningful goals that have more substance to keep me going when challenged.  I will have goals to grow my business by a certain number of engagements, but that is because my future self will have a certain financial level associated with speaking engagements, trainings, and consulting.

Keeping a vision of our future selves will help us to focus on hitting those goals today so that the vision becomes a reality.  Yes, there are obstacles and roadblocks, but with our vision we can still chart out course to success.

Stay tuned and I will share my goals and how I have set it up with you this December.

Until then enjoy the fall weather!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com