A Quick Guide to Setting (and meeting) Your Goals in 2014

This contributor post was written by Tiffany Han.

As we approach the end of the year, there is a lot of talk about goals and resolutions for 2014. Today, I wanted to give you a quick guide to setting goals so you can make the most out of the new year.

What if 2014 was the year that you were able to actually accomplish all of your goals? {Imagine that.}

As you approach what you want for 2014, consider where you want to be this time next year. What would you like to have accomplished and crossed off your list? Where do you want to be in your creative business (and in your life)? How do you want to feel as you move into 2015?

From here, work backwards: In order to get where you want to be, what needs to happen? What kinds of things do you need to put into place right now to make that magic?

This is where you start when setting goals. You look at the big picture and figure out where to start.

Once you have your big vision down, come back to the present and think about what needs to be done right now to get started. Want to have $10,000 a month in sales by the end of 2014, but know you need a new website to help you get there? Let’s start with that.

(Note: this is also the point in the process where you start getting overwhelmed by how far you are from your goal and by how much there is left to do. Relax. We’ll walk through this. And don’t forget, you have a whole year to make this happen!)

Your big starting out goal is to build a new website. While you could put that down as a single item on your to do list, it may not be as effective as you hope, because: Hello Overwhelm!

Instead, take that BIG GOAL and break it down into baby steps. For the website project, some of your initial steps might include:

• Evaluate current branding: what’s working, what’s not, where are updates needed?
• Brainstorm navigation and layout
• Resereach designers and developers
• Request quotes from at least 3 designers
• Finalize designer choice

*All of this could take at least a couple of months and you haven’t even yet started the design process of a new site. That’s okay. The above steps are critical to help you get that amazing website you’re dreaming of. By breaking things down into do-able steps, you’ll be okay with March rolling around without having started on the design process because you’ll be able to recognize the things you have done towards the final product.

Goals don’t happen all at once in huge chunks. They are met by consistently taking teeny tiny baby steps that add up to big action. Over time. Day by day. By breaking your goals down, you move beyond the overwhelm of having a SUPERBIGGOAL into action. And without action, you never get anywhere.

Do you want your 2014 to be filled with action or overwhelm?

Action item for you: Pick a BIG GOAL for 2014 and break it down into baby steps. Then look at your calendar for next year and assign yourself a due date for each baby step. (And then – get to work!)

*image credit: Molly Jacques

You may know Tiffany Han, CPCC as a life and business coach, but really she helps highly-creative women wake up happy. Every single day. Her new program More Shenanigans, Please will help you let go of your New Year’s Resolutions and focus on what we all really want – to have more fun! If you’re feeling the growing pains of running your creative business and are ready to STOP spinning your wheels and actually get stuff done, her Good Morning Glitterbomb daily inspiration emails are sure to light your fire.