BUSINESS AND LIFE GOALS

There’s nothing like a new year to inspire thoughts about goals and dreams. Most of us know from experience that resolutions don’t stick, and even goals can be elusive after the first week or two of January. What works best for most people is to keep it simple, set goals that are truly attainable and actions that will move you step by step toward your ultimate goal. Research has also shown that support and accountability are keys to success in reaching and even exceeding your goals and dreams. That’s where the power of Masterminds comes in.

In 2012, after joining an online coaching program, I started a Mastermind Group for support and accountability to set weekly goals and to help each other overcome obstacles along the way. Little did I know, this group would be life-changing, not just for myself, but for the other two coaches as well. Because we had similar goals, we bonded easily and began a deep-dive into our goals and dreams and what was stopping us from achieving them. On many of the calls, one of us would reluctantly be in the spotlight, but we quickly realized that when that happened, we all benefitted from the in-depth discussion, questions and insight that followed. The other benefit to that was realizing we were not alone in our struggles, and our struggles were not often unique, though it seemed that way before joining the group.

Little by little, we each began to grow in areas we were struggling, and were strengthened in areas we had strength in. One of us went back to school after many years in the workforce to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. Another had the courage to join a high-end coaching program that challenged her to the core of her being and paved the way for her to start a group of her own that would transform lives. And I finally wrote and published a book I’d been trying to finish for several years that took only weeks once I had the focus and clarity I needed. To date, we’ve been meeting for five years and remain close-knit because of our experience of growing together. I’ve since started and participated in other Masterminds for business and personal growth, and seen exponential growth in my own life and in the lives of others. That’s why I believe in the power of Masterminds, not for the information, but for the relationships which lead to transformation.

Can goals be accomplished alone? Yes, they can. People do it every day. They quit smoking, they lose that last 10 pounds and they find the motivation to do what they’ve always wanted to do. But many do not, and they wonder if there’s something wrong with them at the very core of their being when the truth is, we need four things to accomplish our goals and dreams.

First, we need other people. Whether for support and accountability, or for teaching, training, mentoring, coaching, consulting, or some other service we need, people will need to be added to the mix if we are to succeed in our goals. Secondly, we need information. It might be learning about nutrition, or going back to school or taking a course to obtain the necessary certification or foundation to build on. Next, we need experience. It’s not enough just to have the right information. We need to take action to move forward and that may be in the form of simply following through on the information we’ve gathered, or it may be teaching others what we’ve learned. Finally, we need to add structure to reach our goal. That means making room on the calendar, eliminating some distractions and even good things to add some margin in your day so that you can work on your most important goals to make them a reality. That might mean joining a Mastermind for yourself where there is a set time and date where you are working on you and your goals. It may mean a support group like Weight Watchers where you are accountable on a weekly basis for your daily activities. While that might sound like a pain, it’s a good kind of pain that will eliminate the pain of regret when you look back at the end of the year and wonder where the time went.

With these four ingredients, adjusted over time to fit the goals you’re working on, your chances of success are no longer left to chance. You’re actually using a proven plan to succeed over time. So while you may not be happy with how the last year went concerning your goals, you can change that by adding the four ingredients for success and make this year a great one.

If you’d like to join one of my Mastermind Groups, join me for a FREE Breakthrough Session to get clarity and an action plan to reach your goals and dreams for the coming year and beyond.