How I Turned My Planning Obsession into Reaching HUGE GOALS : 5 Steps to Reach YOUR Goals
They say admitting your problem is the first step to recovery.
Hi, my name is Holly and I am a planner. There I said it.
As much as I try NOT to obsess over it, I still do. I am improving, however let’s face it, some things just “have” to be planned, and I have learned how to use this overplanning tendency to reach and EXCEED my goals.
Without goals, whether tangible or not, we’re really just floundering and running in circles. As a parent, you set a goal for your child to be successful, whatever that may look like. When you start grade school, the goal is to graduate with a diploma. Entering the workforce you want to do your job well and potentially promote.
You get my point. Life is essentially a series of goals just in different forms.
Now 33 months ago when I started in direct sales (P.S. I HATE that word) I didn’t really have any true goals. I honestly just thought it would be “fun.” Fast forward 10 months and fun wasn’t paying the bills. And this is where goals started to make themselves apparent.
Late August 2016-After a slight bit of research, it was clear that this company was different and goals could be achieved here. From day one, I had three clear cut goals.
Pay off the credit card debt my husband didn’t know about. (Sorry honey.)
Pay off my student loans.
Stay at home with my little one.
Now call me greedy if you wish, but let’s be honest here. Money makes the world go round. I didn’t have it and I needed it. Period.
THIS is HOW I DID IT
1. Write down your goals CLEARLY, specifically.
Don't worry about making a huge list. Keep it short, sweet, and MEASURABLE. You can't say "I want to grow in my business." You need numbers next to your goals so you know when you have reached it and how far you have left.
2. Create a daily action plan to reach your goal, with WEEKLY check-ins.
Break up your goals into small daily task, those task will lead to BIG results. My friend Kendall likes to say, "Oprah wasn't built in a day," and that so true. We often look at peoples success and see the fruits of it, but miss out on the daily actions and disciplines they committed to get them there. Not to mention, as a planner, I love checking my small goals off as I work to my big goals.
This helps you to know when you need to adjust your action plan, maybe you need to adjust your timeline, or schedule your task differently. You can adjust your plan, without having to give up on your goal. Also, in the weekly check-up, don't forget to celebrate every small victory, sometimes we forget to enjoy the small victories and that causes burn out before you reach your goal.
3. Put your blinders on and WORK
STOP WORRYING ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE. Do your work, know your goals, and forget about what everyone else is doing. You will drive yourself crazy, but you will gain so much time when you stop looking at everyone else. This is the hardest, but really makes the BIGGEST difference.
When I started, I kept these 3 goals in the forefront of my everyday actions. These were the reasons I worked more hours than I would like to admit and did things that made me uncomfortable but also made me grow. I could see the results in each $0 balance credit card statement that came and watched that student loan dwindle as well. Soon, I was able to sign the letter of intent that I would NOT return to the classroom that had been my home for the last 11 years. For the planner in me, checking these off was like seeing Santa for the first time.
But then what??
What happens when all the “goals” have been met?
You get out the pen and paper write down new ones.
So from one planner to another, write it down, plan it out and hustle hard.
You deserve it more than you can imagine!
With Love,
