You’re going to have a half-a-million-dollar year in your first year as a business owner…

You’re going to enroll 25 people this month in your business…

You’re going to go from high-school actor to winning an Oscar…

But instead, what typically happens is you implode emotionally because you get overwhelmed. Those overwhelmed feelings create guilt and shame, resentment, and disappointment that deplete the emotional energy required to move forward toward a goal.

Goal Getting

When it comes to goal setting, the real value in a goal is getting it. The goals you get are the goals you accomplish. The goals that you give yourself permission to enjoy are the ones that give you a sense of purpose, a sense of pride.

The goals that most people don’t get are the ones that lead to regret.

“I’ll go ahead and set the goal, but these things usually don’t happen to me.”

“Yeah, I’ll give it a shot… I’ll try.”

“I hope it works out.”

With that kind of attitude, you might as well pack it in before you even begin. If you don’t have clearly defined achievable goals, if your vague, there’s a high probability that you will never achieve them.

Certain goals must be spiritual. When you have that kind of feeling, that internal inspiration, and that kind of connection, you will not be denied.

However… instead of setting big, lofty goals, think “realistic.”

Think “objective.”

Plan to accomplish your goals.

Plan to achieve them.

Don’t leave any margin for major error when you set a goal. That’s why my advice is not to set a goal so big that you can’t possibly achieve it, because then all you’ve done is set yourself up for disappointment… and procrastination.

Narrowing Your Focus

Many speakers, authors, and writers have their own variation of goal setting. Here’s my version…

“Don’t set so many goals that you lose sight of the most important ones.”

I’ve heard speakers say, “Write 100 goals down on a piece of paper, and when you accomplish your first 100, write another 100.” Now… there’s merit to an exercise like this, but in reality, a large percentage of the population can’t even come up with 100 goals, and they seldom achieve the ones they do write down because they’re addicted to disappointment.

Disappointment always leads to some level of procrastination. Procrastination allows you to feel bad, which leads to more disappointment… hence, the term “addicted to a feeling.”

Accomplishing goals requires you to be REALISTIC.

Setting Realistic Goals

One of my clients, who is in a direct-sales business, set a goal of enrolling thirty people in a calendar month. Now, that would be a stretch for a superstar, but for her, even though she was a bright, articulate woman, the odds were slim to none. Prior to setting this goal, she had never signed up more than a couple of people or closed more than a couple of sales in a calendar month.

I asked her what inspired her to set such a big goal. “Well, I see everyone else in my circle of influence creating these giant numbers. If I can’t create those kinds of numbers, then I’m just a loser.”

I said, “Actually, you’re not a loser.

First of all, don’t ever compare yourself to someone else when it comes to setting a goal. You have no idea what someone else has been through. You have no idea of their skills, their habits, or their mindset.

And… just because someone has created a result doesn’t mean that they’re going to continue to create results.”

Many people that have achieved big accomplishments also have experienced big disasters, big sabotages, and big failures. Don’t compare yourself to other people…

… because it’s not fair to you, and it’s not fair to them.

Acknowledge others, endorse them, be proud of them… but don’t feel resentful because they’re achieving something that you’re not. If you use this as an excuse to procrastinate, living the law of entitlement and feeling that you’re entitled to success without going through the process, then once again all you’re doing is setting yourself up for failure and disappointment.

Set small goals. If your goal is to become a millionaire, before you ever become a millionaire, first you have to stop sucking air.

But to become a millionaire, you must develop the habits of a millionaire. That means you’ll have to be highly productive in the hours you devote to producing results. This is why small goals are a great way to build a solid foundation.

When you reach a goal, reward yourself.

No matter how small, when you accomplish a goal, pat yourself on the heart. Say, “I am enough. I am capable.” Give yourself some credit for what you accomplish. Don’t judge yourself.

While it’s important to write your goals down, it’s essential to have a vision of their outcome. When you set a goal, what you’re really doing is describing the outcome.

Make sure that you create some passion and meaning around your goal. If you don’t, it will be just another ho-hum goal. Since you’ll most likely have to overcome obstacles, challenges, emotional brick walls, and possible opposition from family members…

… energy, passion, and vision are crucial!

Become Reward Conscious

What does being reward conscious mean?

It means ABR…

Always Be Receiving.

You are so conditioned to give that there’s a tendency to end up having challenges receiving. Receiving is a skill that absolutely enhances your people skills when it comes to marketing and selling.

The reward is the payoff.

The reward is what you get for the risk. If you never take a risk… there’s seldom, if ever, a reward.

Learn to become reward conscious.

Reward is what you envision in the future. The reason you go for the reward is so that you have goals and objectives bigger than your problems. In addition to becoming reward conscious… you have to learn to become production conscious.

Focus on results.

Most of life is a contact sport. It’s a nonphysical sport, but many contacts have to be created. You have to learn to converse with people, ask them questions, show them products and services, and deliver value. You must be able to get paid, because if you don’t…

… you’ll end up with a nonprofit organization from the discomfort of your home.

If the reward is big enough, and you’re passionate enough about it, there’s a high probability that you will overcome your procrastination to receive it that reward.

And you absolutely deserve to receive the reward!

So today… set small goals that you can accomplish in one day, one week, one month, or one quarter.

Setting goals is easy. Getting goals can also be easy, but you may require a SHIFT in perspective and in your habits for this transformation.

Remember… reward yourself for every stride forward that you take… no matter how big or small it may seem at the time.

Change is progressive and you have the courage to embark on the journey. You deserve credit… so give credit where credit is due!

This is the foundation of your journey.