Make this year the year you reach your business goals!

It’s the cycle no one wants to be stuck in but so many people are!  

You set goals.  

You don’t reach them.  

You try again next year.  

Repeat.  

You’re left feeling like a failure and that procrastination is the only thing you can follow through with. 

Let’s break the cycle!  

What nobody tells you is that achieving goals is a science.  You can’t just want to achieve a goal.  If really wanting it was all it took, you’d already be there.  Putting a strategy behind pursuing your goals gives you a much better chance of succeeding.  

The science behind achieving your goals

Dr Gail Matthews from the Dominican University of California did a great study on goal setting. She found “empirical evidence for the effectiveness of three coaching tools: accountability, commitment, and writing down one’s goals.” The study revealed when someone just thinks about their goals without writing them down or anything like that their success rate is about 35%. On the other hand, when someone engages with accountability, commitment and writing down their goals, their success rate skyrockets to 70%. 

Seventy percent!

It’s a powerful trio for goal achievement.  

Write down exactly what you want, hold yourself accountable by having to report your progress and commit to it by telling someone else.   

Writing down your goals is the easy part.  Creating accountability and commitment takes a bit more work. That’s where a coach comes in. 

The benefits of working on your goals with a coach

The reason I’ve been in coaching for over a decade is because I love to be part of something that is ultimately life changing (scary thought I know, but it is what it is, no matter how big or small).  Supporting someone through the whole process of setting goals, making progress and achieving those goals is right up my street – I get a real buzz seeing my clients go from unconvinced to smashing it, knowing I’ve been a small part of their journey.  It’s a pretty big buzz for my clients too!  

Financial commitment

Deciding to work with a coach is a financial commitment.  That changes your mindset.  You’ve invested money in a coach, so you want to make sure you get something out of it.  You’re going to bring your A game to the change you want to create to make the most of the money you’ve invested.  Simply, it’s a commitment and that’s what you need to achieve goals. 

Timescale 

I work with my clients on a flexible but pre-determined timescale as they sign up for 3 sessions, 6 sessions or 12 sessions on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis.  This creates a deadline for progress to be made and prevents getting distracted or simply drifting along – let’s make things happen!  

Routine check-ins

The study highlighted the value of sending progress reports to a friend as a form of accountability. Coaching sessions have the same effect.  It’s a regular checkpoint to see how you are progressing and motivate you to keep going.  We’ll work through anything slowing down your progress, as well as enhancing and using what’s helping you to move forward.

Problem-solving 

The great thing about using coaching to help you achieve your goals is that you’re not alone.  If there’s something stopping you from making progress, we’ll handle it together.  I’m as invested in your success as you are so I’m going to use all the coaching tools in my arsenal to get you to where you want to go. 

Outside perspective

Bouncing ideas off someone else, especially someone on neutral ground like a coach, is so useful because they can help you see things from a different perspective.  Everyone gets in their head about things sometimes and that’s ok.  A coach helps to untangle everything bouncing around in your head, get focused and taking action again.  One of the things that comes up in my testimonials all the time, is my ability to ask the right questions that allow my clients to break through and make progress. 

A Cheerleader

Your coach has your back and is your cheerleader!  I always have masses of belief in my clients that they can do whatever they want to do and if they are lacking in self-belief, then I have enough belief in them that they can borrow when needed.  My clients are never alone when taking those scary steps forward, I’m cheering them on every step of the way.

Try these journal prompts to get you started;

How would working with a coach benefit you?

What are you avoiding by not investing in support for you and your business?

Where would you like your business to be this time next year?  How will you ensure you work consistently towards this?

Achieving the goals you set isn’t impossible, I absolutely believe anyone can achieve anything they put their mind to.  When you find a way to work on goals that keep you accountable and committed, you’ll be surprised by what you’re capable of.  If nothing else, write your goals down!  Dr Gail Matthews more than proved that’s worthwhile.  

If you think it could be useful to have a coach by your side as you work on your goals, check out my individual coaching packages. To get the ball rolling, book a cuppa and chat call to see if 1:1 coaching with me could be a good fit for you.