Setting goals is easy—taking steps to achieve them is the hard part. Goals can take months or even years to accomplish. If you are like many sales professionals, you are probably pursuing several professional goals along with some personal ones, too. Whatever goals you may be going after, it’s important to know the motivation behind these goals.
Michael Hyatt, renowned author, speaker, podcaster and blogger, also says that if you want to make progress on your goals, you have to keep at them. This means taking small steps every day to move in the right direction. By accruing small daily victories, you help get the momentum started and keep it going.
If you want to learn some quick tips on how to make a big impact on your goals, read on. We share Hyatt’s four steps to make daily progress on your goals in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.
Step 1: Clearly define what you want to achieve. Vision always comes first with goal setting, says Hyatt. Unless you define your goal, you can’t accomplish it. You should know what you are working toward and the result you desire, whether you are chasing a habit goal or an achievement goal. Hyatt recommends writing down your goals, especially when your sales team is involved. While you may feel like you understand your goal, you won’t create clear alignment until your goal is written on paper. This is a crucial step, according to Hyatt, so do not skip it.
Step 2: Determine the behavior that will enable you to achieve the goal. When you think about what you want to achieve, Hyatt recommends keeping your behavior simple. For example, when he wanted to shed 25 pounds, he decided to stick to a small behavioral change. Instead of committing to grueling daily workouts or tough competitions, he simply cut out sugar and processed carbs from his diet. At the end of about three months, he achieved his weight-loss goal. The same thing applies to your goals. Identify the right behavior that can get you to the finish line, whether you make 10 extra sales calls a week to reach your sales goal or you commit to reading one book per month to reach a professional development goal.
Step 3: Keep up with your progress. Hyatt notes that when you track your progress, you accomplish two objectives: You reinforce the habit through self-accountability, and you boost motivation by seeing visual progress. Keep a daily checklist and cross off what you achieve each day. When you see a string of successes, you give yourself a confidence boost to keep going.
Step 4: Recruit an accountability partner. This is an impactful step in reaching your goals, says Hyatt. He refers to Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 in the Bible: “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to the one who falls when he is alone.” Look for someone who will encourage you, whether you turn to a friend, co-worker, professional counselor or trainer.
Setting professional and personal goals can help you transform into the best version of yourself. You can accomplish any goal you set out to achieve by staying consistent with your daily actions. Know what you are striving for, determine what you need to do to reach your goal, track your wins and get an encouraging partner on your side to stay accountable. When you follow the steps above, you will make sure and steady progress toward your goals.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Michael Hyatt is an American author, podcaster, blogger and speaker and the CEO and founder of Michael Hyatt & Company. He has written several books about leadership, productivity and goal setting.
