Wow! Twelve months or 365 days or 8,760 hours or 565,600 minutes ago we were facing this time last year. If you are like me, you were praying, planning and preparing for greater success in the upcoming year than you achieve the year before. As an entrepreneur, we are always seeking ways to grow our business and developing creative ways to package our goods and services.
The beginning of another new year is here. I am already beginning to cash in on the fruits of my labor from the planning and hustling I started over this past fourth quarter in preparation of the upcoming year. I want to share with you three keys things I used to set myself up to start living a more prosperous and profitable life in the new year.
Key #1 – Assess your successes and failures from the previous year
Every year, I go through a ritual of setting goals and creating a plan to achieve them. Some of my goals I achieve and some I don’t. However, I have found that in order for me to accomplish the things I desire over time, I find it necessary to figure out what I did and what I needed to do to achieve success.
One of the keys to help you become more prosperous in the upcoming year is to think back over the previous year and assess your successes and failures. It may help you to make a list of or journal about the goals you set and successful accomplished. Write down what helped you successfully achieve your goals and repeat the process to help create more successes.
Then make a list of the goals you fell short of accomplishing. Identify the reason why you did not achieve your goals. Connect with your emotions and mindset when you think of why you originally set your goals. This connection is where the true assessment starts to take place. Identify what could have been done differently for you to have had a successful outcome. Decide if this goal is still important to you. If so, don’t give up on achieving it. However, if you determine that pursuing this goal no longer serves a purpose in your life, now is the time to let it go.
Did you know that Michael Jordan, the superstar professional basketball player, missed more than 9,000 shots and loss almost 300 games during his career. Today, he was still considered a superstar and won many championships throughout his career.
Get clear on your dreams and go for it.
Key #2 – Develop and document your goals and plans in writing for the upcoming year. Don’t forget to hold yourself accountable with deadlines
It is proven that people who write down their goals and plans have greater success at achieving them.
Each year I document my goals in writing and highlight them in a vision board. A vision board is a great way to start the documentation process of your goals and set your plan into action. Using a vision board give you the opportunity to see what you want to achieve. Upon completing my vision board, I take the highlighted goals on my vision board and write out my plan on how I can bring my goals to life. My written plan includes specific details and with timelines and deadlines on when and how I will achieve my goals.
I recommend creating your own vision board for the upcoming year. Then write out your plan on how you will achieve those goals. It may help to plan for three months at a time so that creating and documenting your plan is not overwhelming.
Benjamin Franklin stated, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Key #3 – Set revenue or income goals for each goal you set
As The Financial Educator, I can not teach you to implement a plan that does not make you money. That is why Key #3 is so important. This is the key to help you add value to your vision. Therefore, as you set your goals and document your plan, you must create a specific amount of income you plan to make from pursuing each goal. Your documented plan should include step by step actions to help you produce income. One of my goals this past year was to write a children’s book and sell 200 books at $10 each. This one goal was projected to help me produce $2,000 in income. I came close to achieving the goal number of book sells. I exceeded my income goal related to the book because I created a companion workbook and coaching course that was offered at rates greater than $10. Neither of these products existed prior to me writing my book.
I encourage you to thoroughly think through your plan. The more thought you give to making it more specific, the more profitable your plan becomes.
Make your goals profitable for your business. When you are a business owner, your time is your money. Remember, if it doesn’t make money, it doesn’t make sense.
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Learn more about Deletra Hudson, apply for a 30-minute Complimentary Financial Empowerment Session, or book her for events, by visiting her website: www.deletrahudson.com