In the previous article, I introduced you to the theme of Setting and Achieving Goals. Because isn't that what it's all about when you're an entrepreneur? Achieving your goals? And at the same time, isn't that also the most difficult thing to do? Let's be honest: the freedom of being an entrepreneur is wonderful. But without a boss telling you what to do, it can be quite challenging to take actual steps. And that's when you have such huge dreams.
It's the biggest pitfall for entrepreneurs. Dreams that seem too big, which is why it takes unnecessarily long to achieve them. If they're achieved at all. And the stupid thing is, you've probably heard before how you can make your dreams and goals practical and achievable. But still... somehow... you refuse to go through the steps.
Until today.
Welcome to the article that puts your nose to the facts. In a positive way. This article gives you exactly the motivation, inspiration, and energy to be more structured, more disciplined and faster achieve your goals. In 5 steps, to be precise.
Ready? Set, go!
1. Start With the End in Mind: Write It Down!
If all goes well, you've already taken this first step last week. In this step, it's about writing down your big end goal, the dream that gives you goosebumps. For one person, this might be being able to work full-time as an entrepreneur, for another, it's earning a million. The dream can be big, but it has to be really your dream and it has to be yours. Keep it close to yourself and describe not only the dream or goal itself but also how you'll feel and what your life will look like around it.
2. What Are the Conditions?
To make the examples concrete, I'll use one goal as an example: becoming a full-time entrepreneur. Nice and all, but becoming a full-time entrepreneur comes with all sorts of conditions. To achieve this, you need to earn a certain amount of money. Makes sense, right? But if you're giving up the security of your job or studies for your own business, you might also want to make sure you're well-insured and that the legal conditions are in order. And what about proper bookkeeping?
Write down everything that comes to mind in this step. How much do you need to earn per month to become a full-time entrepreneur? What other things need to be taken care of?
'But doesn't it feel limiting when you become so aware of all the actions needed before you can make your dream a reality?' No. It actually feels liberating. Because the truth is: even if you don't write down the conditions, you know that there are 'things' that need to be taken care of.
3. The Brainstorm
Here's where it gets exciting! Grab a piece of paper and write down the most important condition to make your dream a reality in the middle. In this example, it could be:
â–¶ The dream: full-time entrepreneurship
▶ The most important condition: making a minimum profit of €3500 (keep in mind, don't forget that you'll also have to pay VAT and taxes on the amount you earn).
From this point on, we'll focus not on the big dream, but on the most important condition. Yes, we know that there are more conditions. But you also know: if you can make this most important condition a reality, you'll fix those other things too! So: focus.
4. The Timeline
All right, it's time to determine the order of your actions. Draw a horizontal line and end it with a dot on the horizon: a profit of €3500 per month. Now, we won't fill in the timeline from left to right, no, we'll work backwards. We start at the endpoint of €3500.
Determine when you want to reach this endpoint. Be realistic, but don't sell yourself short. You'll be amazed at how quickly you can make progress when you work towards your dream with focus and discipline. You'll be amazed at how many steps you can take not just in a year, but also in a quarter, a month, and a week!
5. Quarterly and Monthly Goals
We'll go into this step in more detail in the next article. Because while the previous steps are essential for making your goals concrete, it's the quarterly and monthly goals that will really make the difference. These goals will be so concrete that your doubts will be a thing of the past With these goals, your dream life is within reach.
