One way to create the future you want is to decide what you want it to include. You can do something, but you can’t do everything. This makes goal setting a way to prioritize what is most important to you and your future.
Some of you who may have seen the painting of Christopher Hitchens that sits above my right shoulder when I write. It is there to remind me not to be boring, something Hitch believed was a sin. Before he passed away, he wrote an article in Vanity Fair about choosing your future regrets. You will have regrets, and prioritizing what you want and what you must live without allows you to choose your goals carefully.
The screen capture here marks the beginning of my 2024 and 2025 goal setting. At the top of the image, you see my three words for 2024. These words are important to me, and they should have no meaning to you. Eventually, I will build a list of projects under each of the themes.
- In 2024, I will improve my revenue by 33 percent. Inside the card, there are several tasks I need to complete to reach this goal.
- The second goal is launching the One-Up Book Club in January. We are getting close, but there is still work we must do to launch.
How to Prioritize My Goals: Areas
The area titled "Book Publishing" has a card for the goal of writing a new book. The second card is for the book I am co-authoring with Jeb Blount called AI Edge.
The next area is for courses. In the first quarter, I will complete these three courses. They are all substantial courses, so it takes time to write, record, edit, and produce them.
I have several areas I use for goals, projects, and tasks: health, wealth, relationships, writing, offerings, and book marketing.
You might want to take some time to identify your areas, the projects within those areas, and the tasks that, when completed, will help you achieve your goals.
People Without Goals Never Fail
I worry about people who don’t have goals. Our time here is short, but you have enough time to do what you want to do, to contribute what you want to others, and take full advantage of the approximately 4,000 weeks you will live.
Those with no goals never fail. Some don’t have goals because they don’t want to commit to something that will take time and effort, and open them to the potential of failure. These folks don’t realize that failure is a part of success.
Some are content to have the same year repeatedly, never stretching themselves, growing, or becoming who they might be. These people are caught in the drift, being pulled downstream, going nowhere.
Still, others want things but lack the discipline to do the work. In the end, those without goals will have regrets they might have avoided if only they had chosen their future regrets.
Join Us for Our Annual Goal Setting Event
If you want to work on your sales goals, you and your team can join us for our annual Goal Setting Execution Lab on December 13, 2023, from noon ET to 2:00 PM. You will be provided with an Excel spreadsheet for your sales goals, your motivation, and your plan to reach your goals. We will also provide you with a workbook on goal setting and access to the recording, so you can revisit the content as often as you need.
