I admit. I am a goal achievement junkie. I love setting all kinds of personal & business goals for myself… and I’m like a kid at the carnival who just won the giant octopus at the ring toss whenever I successfully reach my goal!
So naturally, I’m always asked how I’m able to knock off one goal after another without neglecting my single-mom duties, losing any “Carmen time”… or my sanity, for that matter.
Before I continue, I want to tell you about a conversation I recently had with my client “Gabe”… Gabe was totally stressing out over a goal he had set for himself at the beginning of this year, which was to start making at least $20,000 a month from his new, home-based business by June. “I started with ZERO. March is almost over and I’m only up to $8,000 a month! At this rate, it will take until October to reach my goal! Would you suggest I get a part-time job to supplement?”
“Why don’t you just change your goal date to October?”, I casually asked him. He answered (only after triple “gasp!”-ing), “Uhhhh… no. I can’t do that.” I then asked Gabe, “What is the significance of reaching your goal by June? Are you making a high-ticket purchase at that time? An extravagant vacation? Down payment for a large home?” He answered almost angrily, “There are people who make a million dollars off of one product launch! I should be able to make a measly $20,000 a month in six months!”
I replied, “Hmmm… so this goal you’ve set for yourself & totally tripping out over… is based on what someone else has achieved doing something completely different?”
I asked again (because that’s the kinda chick I am), “Going from ZERO to $8,000 a month in less than 4 months is a great accomplishment in itself! But increasing it by $2,000 each month until you reach your $20,000 monthly income goal in October is unacceptable to you, and you are willing to feel frustrated and stressed out because of how much some other people produced in less time from one product launch?”
Let me tell you… the average annual income in the US in 2012 was $36,000 – $57,657. That’s $3,000 – $4,800 per month. This man is currently making $8,000 a month from his new, home business and he’s NOT satisfied. Why? Because he’s comparing his progress to other people’s achievements.
Yeah, those other guys did make a million dollars in one product launch, but they also had to pay 50% to their Joint Venture partners. And he failed to look past the “launch” and see that those people have NOT sold anything else since! Most have left the internet marketing field to go back to working for someone else in order to make a living. One-hit wonders.
The reality is, Gabe is growing a stable business, built on a strong, secure foundation he laid out for himself. He provides exceptional service to his clients and they refer their friends, family, and colleagues to him. His income is steadily increasing… by $2,000 monthly! So NOT a one-hit wonder!
The scenario he was comparing himself to was totally skewed. If he saw what really was, he would’ve clearly seen that he’s well on his way to surpass those whom he was trying to “catch up” to! Honestly… zero to $8,000 in less than 4 months… and still growing!
Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” And how true that is! You might want someone else’s “outcome” but if the path is different from yours, it ain’t gonna happen! And most times, you’re so focused on what someone else has, you become blind to the fact that you are headed towards a much bigger and better outcome of your own! When you set a goal, make certain it is yours and yours alone, and only compare yourself to your performance from the day before!
My goals are always very personal to me. I set them for myself and not to compete with anyone else. I clearly define the result I want (which helps me focus on my goal), state my purpose (very honest, personal, and emotional reasons why I want to achieve something), and create a plan of action (my success blueprint!). Approaching my goals this way keeps me from constantly getting distracted, as well as looking at my to-dos as “difficult, unpleasant tasks” to “gonna do it because I wanna win in my life!!”
Are You Present In Your Life?