As personal trainers we were all taught to set SMART goals;
S - specific
M - measurable
A - agreed upon
R - realistic
T - time-based
This can be a great method, and for some it works well. However, the term realistic can create goals that simply don't inspire when times get a little tough.
Research suggests that only 8% of people achieve success with new years resolutions. 90% of new business start ups fail and most evidence suggests the average personal trainer lasts for less than a year before giving up and looking for other work.
These are pretty alarming numbers that suggest something is seriously going wrong when we set about achieving success and fulfilling our goals.
Setting up a successful online business is pretty much the gold standard business. A business that can create any lifestyle you like and give you more income and more freedom than others ever dream of. But the successful online businesses are rarely the ones that set realistic goals……. Did Google, Amazon or Facebook ever set out to cover the bills and help a few people?!
Setting up an online business is tough at times and realistic goals can hold us back...... Realistic is mediocre, it's not exciting, it's not life changing, it doesn't cause that burning desire to succeed no matter what. It's just average, dull and uninspiring.
With realistic goals such as helping ten people or covering your rent, when the going gets tough you may be more inclined to give up than take massive action and step up to achieve your goals.
What if you had crazy, ambitious, inspiring, life changing, world changing goals?
How would you feel when things got a little tricky? Would you simply quit?
While huge goals can be a little overwhelming at first they can also be inspiring and empowering.
In the world of online business the total effort required to have massive success is not vastly different than that required to have mediocre results. While setting massive and exciting goals requires more action to attain them, realistic goals mean worrying about paying the bills, stressing about not being as successful as you could be, wondering what your competitors are doing and wishing you had the time and skills to dominate your niche....... All of this worrying is stressful and requires effort!!
Massive goals inspire massive action, inspire growth and constant learning and inspire you to do what it takes and get stuff done.
If you set big, scary, exciting goals then doing the work becomes really easy. It becomes exciting, you stop worrying about your competition and start thinking about dominating your niche. The potential reward becomes far larger than the work you have to put in and somehow your productivity goes through the roof. You become a one person big business, you become far bigger than the person you were when you set realistic goals..... You also have far more energy.
If you really believe you don't have time then make sure every second you have is utilised 100%.
Simple Action Steps
- Sit down and write out your big, scary, I can do anything goals. Don't stop to think about how you might achieve them at this stage, don't waste your time thinking about what others may think, just write your truly inspiring goals. These can be for business and all areas of your life.
- Every morning, read these goals.
- Do this every day for a month and see what happens to your productivity, your mindset and your life…… The results may well be life changing.
Are Realistic Goals Stifling Your Online Business and Causing You Stress?
Dec 30, 2016
By Tim Saye
