[Think Like An Entrepreneur Thursday] Ep. 21 - Goal Setting for the New Year

It's that time of year when it's a clean slate, and goals are ready to get set.  However, lurking around that corner are some nice, bright, shiny objects that are just waiting to tempt you as a business owner.

What I've discovered after several years of doing this, is that the gross part of business is inevitable.  The part that's hard.  The part where you feel momentum will never come.  The part where you question what in the world you're doing, and why you even began on this journey.  What happens so many times is that the shiny objects become very tempting to follow.  After all, shiny doesn't usually equal hard.  However, what we don't realize is that after the shiny comes the hard stuff behind it.

So to get yourself straight for 2017, I have two simple questions to ask yourself before you make any decision.  First, you need to really focus on the why of what you're doing in the first place.   How does this align with your life?  What was the reason why you started in the first place?  When you come back to that place of why, moving to the next thing might not seem so smart.

The second question is to understand your bigger picture goals, not just the ones facing you at the time.  Even though moving in a new direction might seem like the right fit, it might not be because it may not align what you want your five-year plan to be, or a lifestyle goal, etc.  Look at all aspects before jumping into the new shiny thing because it might end up taking you away from what's really important.

And remember green grass doesn't come in 10 days.  So even though you think taking on something new is going to be the answer to quick funds, etc, it isn't.  This stuff takes time, all great things do.  So if you're jumping ship to get to the next easy thing, stay aboard and go through the hard stuff.  You'll get to the green grass much faster than if you jump to the shiny object.