Six months ago when the ball dropped to ring in 2018 people were celebrating, out with the old, in with the new year. Some people set general resolutions. Others rebel against them. And some people set specific goals with periodic checkpoints to make sure they are on track.
Regardless of who you were of at the end of 2017, there is no time like the present. Spend some time reflecting, writing and designing the way you want the rest of the year to go.
A few weeks into the new year, I wrote an article on how to assess your progress. In the article there was a three point approach to own, simplify and take action to correct course or reinforce what is working. There was an extra bonus tip – use an accountability buddy which will speed up your ability to hit your goals.
Those same principles apply when you review your progress at this halfway mark. Yet, the newest and most important ingredient to add is URGENCY.
Urgency: to undertake the accomplishment of with energy, swiftness, or enthusiasm.
The beautiful part about adding urgency at this point – it applies to all three groups of people mentioned earlier. It is always a good time set goals. Adjust them as a means to correct course if needed.
So how can you stoke the fire of urgency under your new or your current goals? The answer is simple and a little scary.
Make them ten times bigger than you are comfortable with.
Here are a few examples specific to your professional goals. We will state an original goal, provide a goal ten times bigger and a potential solution.
Professional –
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Original goal: Speak in front of an audience twelve times this year (once per month).
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10 times ] goal: Speak in front of an audience 120 times this year (10 per month…gulp!)
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Solution: Think bigger about what an audience means to you. Create content for webinars, podcasts, videos for social media and traditional in-person events.
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Break this down to weekly and monthly based on the method you will use…
–> Weekly;
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2 – Facebook live streams per week (hint: they can be brief)).
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2 – Selfie style videos posted to Facebook, Youtube, Instagram or LinkedIn.
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This gives you 16 streams of speaking to an audience in month one, surpassing your entire goal for the year.
–> Monthly;
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1 – Traditional in-person engagement
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1 – New in-person engagement
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1 – Webinar or 2 if you share recorded versions
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1 – Podcast (host or guest)
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This strategy would actually get you 20 times the exposure and completely shatter your goal!
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This gives you 60 events for the year giving you five times more than your original goal.
–> BONUS TIP! – The glue connecting your energy of urgency with achievement is FUN.
It’s said if your goals do not scare you, they are not big enough. Trust me, if you applied the own it, simplify it and act on it strategy you are on the right track. If you applied the bonus buddy system for accountability then you are even closer than you would be alone.
Add urgency, and of course fun, with the strategy posted above and as soon as the ride of 2018 is over you’ll want to get right back in line for another turn.
