New Years in June
How are those New Years Resolutions Coming Along?
Being
SMART About Setting Goals
So, here we are - June marks
the
half way point through the year. The holidays have come and vanished,
along
with your waist line (even though last year you promised yourself
that you would never eat that much again ever). I know that it
seems like only
yesterday that you were wearing a silly little paper hat and toasting
in the
New Year. Ah, 2007 - you planned for it to be a good one. You had lofty
goals; your resolutions were really good this year - not like last
year; this
year was different. Now that we have
approached the end of June, I ask you: How is everything working out
for you?
Are you on your way to accomplishing those goals you set in place for
this
year? Or, are you feeling like hitting the delete key on my newsletter
because
you don't really feel like being reminded that you let your goals slide?
A lot of people create
excitement around ideas, but then
those lofty goals more often than not, fall to the wayside. Why is
this? To
being with, let's look at the excuses we use to justify why our goals
fail.
Notice, that I did not say "the reasons" why our goals fail - I chose
those
words carefully.
- I don't have time / I'm too busy
- I don't have enough money
- It's <insert someone else's name>'s
fault
- It's too hard / harder than I expected
- I'll do it later
- I don't know how
- It's just not "the right time"
- First, I have to <insert project here -
you
know...that one project that you've had on your list for the last 2
years>
These are not reasons - these
are the excuses, or stories
that we tell ourselves so that we don't have to face the reality that
we
failed, were out of integrity, or were lazy in the commitments we made
to
ourselves or our business.
Let's talk about setting goals.
You have to be SMART about
your goals. You're smart, aren't you? SMART goals are:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Don't you just love acronyms?
What, exactly, do I mean by
SMART goals?
Specific -
Goals should be specific. Big, lofty ideas are fun, but they don't
generally
get you anywhere. To make your goal specific, think about the "5 W's" -
Who,
What, When, Where, Why?
Measurable
- Goals need to be measurable. How will you know if you've reached your
goal if
there is no measure? Bad example - "I will make more money." Good
example - "I
will make $500,000 this year."
Attainable
- Is your goal really attainable? Do you have the skill set or
knowledge to see
this through to the end? Or, do you know someone who can help you
attain this
knowledge? If your goal is to be a renowned public speaker, but
you start having convulsions and get sweaty when you stand in front of
groups of people, do you have a plan to overcome this?
Realistic - This goal that you speak of, is it
realistic? Are you willing and able to work towards your goal? Is this
a good time? Do you have enough time in your day to commit?
Timely -
Regardless of what you've been told, "someday" is not a day of
the
week.
Setting a (realistic, attainable) timeframe helps you get in the frame
of mind
to accomplish your goal. Setting milestones helps you keep an eye on
the end
game. For instance, if you want to lose 15 pounds in 3 months, figure
out how
you can lose 5 pounds each month, and then periodically see how you are
doing.
What happens if you
don't meet your goals? It's ok! Just
take a realistic look at what happened, and set a new milestone date
(just
don't go back to the excuse list).
Learn to keep your commitments
to yourself first, and then
you will be better prepared to deal with the commitments to others in
your life
- your clients, family, and employees. If you don't respect
yourself or
hold
yourself in high enough regard to commit to yourself, why should other
people? Watch how others start regarding
you when you
take yourself seriously.
What
if you really don't have time? Oh right, you're different.
I don't understand your
situation - I must be talking to someone else. The truth is that
everybody has
time for the things that are important to them. If you
don't have time,
then
maybe it just isn't really a priority for you (and, that's ok!). If
someone
offered you a million dollars to do something you "don't have time
to
do,"
would you find time, or, at least find a way? Of course, don't forget
that you
can always hire a virtual assistant to do
the things you can't make time for.
These are the keys to
accomplishing your goals:
Write them down - tape them to your wall / carry them in a notebook. Look at them every
day.
Tell other people - Enlist others in helping to make you accountable. When you enroll
other
people in the exciting things that you are doing, you create a system
that
works for you in the background. When others are excited about what you
are
doing or believe in your cause, they tell other people, who tell other
people,
and then all of a sudden, someone knows someone who knows someone who
will be
willing to help you out, or knows how to help you accomplish your goal.
Ask people for help
or tell them what you need - Don't assume people know what you want
or
need. Try being direct - it's a rare trait these days. Ask for
someone's
business, for a referral, or for an appointment. You would be surprised
at how
often people say YES! Don't make anyone's decision for them. I don't
like
rejection any more than anyone else. I have previously held back in
following
up with people. I thought - "If they need me, they will call me." Boy
was I
wrong! Don't say "no" for your clients -
let them decide. Sometimes people will say no, and sometimes they
won't.
Just do it! -
Nike was really onto something when they coined that catch-phrase. You
can't
wish your goals to fruition. You actually have to work at them! Get
going! Sit
down and write the title for your new e-zine. Call the first 5 people
on your
follow up list. Do something, just get moving.
Hire a life coach
- a life coach is someone who will ask you the hard questions and
help
you make
a plan to accomplish your goals (and a bonus - your life coach will
make sure
you follow the plan!) The right person will motivate you to get going
on the
things that you want in your life. It's like having your own personal
cheerleader! If you are interested in seeing what a coach can do for
you, I
highly recommend contacting Gina
Ratliffe for a free consultation.
Hire a Virtual
Assistant - Have you ever wished the day had 26 hours instead of
24? Or
that the week was 8 days? The right Virtual Assistant can be an
extension of
you, following up with your clients, or, can help you accomplish all
those
little tasks that are piling up on your desk. Contact Go2Girls for a free
consultation to see
what we can do for you!
Whichever way you choose to accomplish your goals is up to
you. How you get to the end result is not nearly as important as just
getting there (well...don't do anything illegal or immoral of
course). So now it's up to you - go get 'em tiger!
|
|
|
|
|
Tech-y Bits
Each month, we will give you information about an incredibly
cool "bit" that will make your life easier or more productive.
You too, can have your
very own newsletter!
This month, in honor of the inaugural Go2Girls newsletter, and to go
along with helping you reach your "get more clients" goal, I'd like to
introduce you to my friend, Constant Contact. We all know how
important it is to keep in contact with the people in our lives.
Whether your "target market" is your clients, friends, or family,
Constant Contact is a great way to get one big message out to a large
number of people, all at once. The thing I like about this
program is that you can try it out for free (up to 50 contacts), and it
is user-friendly; you can easily publish your very own newsletter or
e-zine, without having to be technically savvy. On the other
hand, if you are one of those technologically advanced, I-love-HTML
people, you can have fun customizing your newsletter to your heart's
content. Once you sign up for Constant Contact and become a
paying customer, the price is also quite reasonable.
If publishing a newsletter is something you'd like to do, but "don't
have the time", or are totally uninterested in going through the setup,
let us know! Go2Girls can help you through the process; and, by
"help you", I mean, "do it for you." Check out our specials at
the bottom of this newsletter. But enroll soon - this offer won't
last!
|
|
|
|
Who
is Go2Girls?
Go2Girls provides on-call
administrative assistance to small business owners,
entrepreneurs, and other busy people. The sole purpose of our existence
is to
make your life easier and give you more hours in the day so that you
can focus
on what you do best, which is running your business and focusing on
revenue-generating
tasks. Many people want or need a full time personal assistant, but
either
can't afford one, or do not have the workload to justify putting
another person
on the payroll. When you hire a Go2Girl, you get the benefit of having
a full
time employee - we learn your business, and get to know you and your
style, but
you only pay for the time we actually work on your projects. There is
no
project or task to big or too small. If you ever find yourself wishing
there
were more hours in the day, contact
us! I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
|
Laurie Cantus
Founder / Owner, Go2Girls
P: 310.693.4929
E: laurie@yourgotogirls.com
W: www.yourgotogirls.com
|
|
|
Why are you on my
mailing list? You are receiving this because I met you, or you met me
at some point. Or: we may have never met, but I've bought something
from you or you've bought something from me; I know you; a friend of
yours thinks I should know you; you know me; or, a friend of yours
thinks you should know me. Rest assured, whatever our relationship is,
it is ours alone - I will never rent, sell, or otherwise profit
or benefit from giving away your information to a third party.To ensure
that you continue to receive this incredibly important and informative
email from us, add laurie@yourgotogirls.com to your address book today.
If you haven't done so already, click to confirm your interest in
receiving email campaigns from us.
