Goal Setting for 2010 – Three Tips to Plot Your Course

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Goal Setting for 2010 – Three Tips to Plot Your Course

“The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them.”  
–Og Mandino

As 2009 draws to a close, business owners must look at what’s ahead in 2010.  One helpful way to identify your aspirational goals for next year is to begin with the end in mind.  Ask yourself, “If everything went perfectly next year, what would my business look like in December of 2010?”  How many employees would I have?  How many customers?  What would my gross revenues be?  What would my net revenues be?  What new services would I have launched?  What new activities would I be doing?  These types of questions can really help you narrow down on your aspirational goals.  

Another fun tool is to imagine yourself at your desk at the end of next year and then in your mind, look around and write down some of the signs of success you see.  Maybe there’s a waiting list for customers to purchase your service or a Lucite award on your shelf for being a rapidly growing business in your area.  There could be a Twitter account up on your monitor and you have 2,000 followers.  Or do you see magazine articles about your business and the difference it’s making in people’s lives? I really love this imagination tip because it causes things to pop up that you might not think about directly, but the desires are there.  

Finally to make these goals most likely to happen, use the S.M.A.R.T. system, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timed.  Vagueness is the enemy when it comes to achieving your goals.  Don’t just say you want to grow your business, make it a specific number and put a deadline with it.  And try to make sure it’s a stretch but also realistic for you.  Only you can know what if it is.  But if you did 0K last year and this year you want to do M, your plan would definitely need to show a massive increase in resources to help you jump to that level.

These three tips of beginning with the end in mind, imagining your environment at the end of next year and making your goals S.M.A.R.T. can help you chart your course for 2010.

Barbara Wayman, president of BlueTree Media, LLC, publishes The Stand Out Newsletter, an award-winning  ezine for people who want to know how to leverage the power of marketing and public relations. Get your free subscription today at www.bluetreemedia.com/ezine.html

This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included.

©2009 Barbara Wayman, BlueTree Media, LLC.

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