The top 5 myths in goal-setting for next year (and the mindset to cultivate instead to hit your next income goal!)
Honestly, I roll my eyes at the Facebook ads that pop up in my feed promising an “exact formula for massive business growth.”
It’s so tempting (because hello, you’re only human!) to want an easy solution to skyrocket your business—whether that be visibility, sales, retention, the list goes on.
But that same way that there isn’t ONE “right” way to spend the holidays, I don’t think there’s one way “right” to achieve success in life and biz either.
Personally, we’ve never been one of those families that’s too steeped in tradition.
In fact, I think the idea of trading the snow-capped mountains of Colorado for sand and sun in Thailand this time of year makes some people shudder because of how “un-Christmas-y” it is. Is that a word? Let’s roll with it. ;)
And if we had one tradition, year after year, I’m sure that I’d be attached to that. But the thing is, I simply leaned into what felt good to me instead.
Now don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t mean that I don’t LOVE the holidays.
But not having one set “plan” allowed me to adapt a lot easier and find what works for me this time of year without being too attached to the outcome. (Because we’ve all had those years where the entire family’s been sick and have had to roll with life’s punches!)
As cheesy as it sounds, what’s most important to me is being with people that I love, even if that’s looked a little differently over the years.
And I think in a lot of ways, that lesson can be applied to business too.
So if you’re just a tiny bit sick of hearing the “one-size-fits-all planning formula for your best year yet,” then this post is for you.
Because I really, truly believe there isn’t ONE way to build a successful business (and I don’t just mean looks successful on the outside, but I mean FEELS successful too!).
It’s all about finding what works for you so you can focus on the things that are most important to you (and spoiler alert: that focus consequently, will bring you more of what you want!).
But time after time, I see people experience a mindset wobble by getting caught up on the wrong things. So today I’m talking about the top five myths I see in planning and goal-setting for next year and what you can do instead to cultivate a success mindset and start seeing more of the results that you want.
MYTH #1: All successful people do (insert thing here)
I used to think that all successful people did THIS…
They had the perfect schedule.
They woke up before the sun.
They never missed a workout.
They meditated daily.
They never had dishes in the sink
(or heaven forbid an unmade bed).
They had a level of discipline I didn’t have.
And so many other details that I had ingrained as an impossible standard I set for myself.
And while yes, there are many things on that list that HAVE supported me in reaching my goals (dishes and bed-making not included) overall I’ve found that this vague idea of success left me chasing all the wrong things.
Because at the end of the day I think all we really want is to feel good and be happy, right!?
That’s kinda the whole damn point in all of this.
So eventually, I ditched the rule book.
I stopped making myself wrong for all the things I THOUGHT I needed to be successful and I started making myself right and creating those feelings of success in the here and now.
I did this again and again and again.
Because that’s the thing about mindset work. It isn’t just something that you do once and it’s solved. It’s the constant work of reframing when you notice thoughts that aren’t serving you.
Heck, if I hadn’t done this work I would still be reorganizing my daily schedule for the 47th time (and I’ll be the first to tell you that was definitely not helping).
So instead of focusing on what everyone else tells you is a requirement for a successful day, a successful business, and a successful life—ask yourself:
→ How can I focus on feeling good today?
Save this post and journal on that every day—and it will change your life far more than making yourself wake up at 5am simply because you think you should.
The mindset shift: Success looks different for everyone, so it makes sense that the path would look different too, right?
MYTH #2: If you only had the “perfect” planner, software, onboarding process, or PDF, then you would xyz...
Don’t let your hunt for perfection hold you back from taking action on the next best step.
If you’ve been kicking around here for a while, you know that I’m not a fan of the word “perfect” because I don’t actually believe it exists.
I think the search for perfection will always hold you back from seeing more of the results you want in life and business—standing in the way of doing the work, finding clarity, learning, and tweaking as you grow.
So it will come as no surprise that I don’t believe that any planner, software, onboarding process, PDF, (or insert your thing here) will ever meet every single one of your needs.
And SEARCHING for “the perfect” thing can keep you overwhelmed and stuck.
But here’s the mindset shift coming at ya... you don’t even need the “perfect” thing to see more results. Because ultimately, it’s YOU that makes things happen.
I remember one client in particular that was really caught up in perfecting her onboarding process and automations when we first started working together. She couldn’t see how it was actually the thing blocking her from GETTING that next client.
That’s yet another reason why having that personalized 1:1 support is so valuable. I could see that she was so scared that something would go wrong in the process and she wouldn’t deliver on the amazing streamlined experience she wanted for her clients.
But the more we talked about it, the easier it became to understand that having the kind of ‘white glove service’ she wanted actually allowed for her to be more hands on in the process.
That it was far more personal and customized if she trusted herself to handle certain parts of the onboarding process and that was actually of MORE value to her clients (mind blown 🤯).
Look, I’m not at all saying automations are bad or you shouldn’t use them. But I am saying that this hunt for perfection was a particular mindset challenge for that client.
And as soon as we shifted that focus? She landed her highest paying project ever.
I’m telling you, if you’re looking to create bigger results in your business… look at your mindset FIRST.
Whether you’re trying to perfect your onboarding software or your investment guide PDF, don’t let perfectionism stand in the way of taking action on the best next step.
MYTH #3: What you want can only show up in one way (or not at all)
Honestly, my clients who have hit big income months (I’m talking $18k and $20k months!) have one thing in common…
It hardly ever shows up how they thought it would.
Look, I believe that the most important part of getting what you want is KNOWING what you want—because without that, how could you possibly know when it shows up for you?
I work with my Future You clients to get clear on what their bigger vision looks like so they can create a life and business that feels aligned to what they want and how they want to create it.
But once we’re clear on that and have a solid business strategy in place? We do the work to detach from exactly HOW it’s going to happen.
Because if you’re not doing that mindset work, it’s easy to shut yourself off from opportunities because it’s not exactly how you pictured things going down.
I see this happen all the time in defining your ideal client.
It’s so easy to go down the rabbit hole of what that ideal client might do on her time off, what she eats for breakfast, and where she shops, and I’m not saying having that information is necessarily bad.
But if you’re turning down clients because they don’t fit this ideal mold, then you might be shutting yourself off to working with people in a new capacity, aligning your values in different ways, or just flat out increasing your bottom line.
I think back to my branding and design business and some of the work that had the least amount of creative freedom, was for some of the kindest clients who paid promptly and were a joy to work with.
Meaning, what you want can show up in many different forms. Which means getting your mindset right so you can see the right opportunities when they come knocking!
The mindset shift: Remember to place more focus on your desired result rather than exactly HOW it will show up for you and you’ll be surprised how much more easily it will flow to you.
MYTH #4: Set realistic goals so you can actually achieve them
Consider this your permission slip to start dreaming again. I mean it.
I’m always surprised by how many of the business owners that I work with in Future You coaching have stopped dreaming about their bigger vision, caught up in the minute details of what’s actually possible for them.
Well, consider this your permission to start dreaming again, because opening yourself up to those high-achieving goals is the first step toward making them a reality.
If you had told me years ago when I was living in my shoe-box sized apartment in NYC, commuting weekly to support my long-distance relationship, and working a 9-6…
That I would one day be living in the mountains, married to the love of my life, taking the month of December off to travel, all while running the business of my dreams, well, I would have thought you were off your rocker.
BUT that didn’t hold me back from dreaming about what things would look like if they were different, if they felt more true to me, and if I went after what I wanted.
It was THAT mindset that got me here and it’s why I’m so passionate that you keep dreaming BIG, even if right now those goals feel completely out of reach.
The mindset shift: Open yourself up to what your life and business would look like if you dreamed BIGGER and stepped into Future You NOW rather than settling for what feels realistic. The only person who holds any authority over what’s possible for you.. Is you.
MYTH #5: It’s all on you
You don’t have to do it alone. PERIOD.
One of the biggest shifts I see in online business owners is the realization that they don’t have to go at it alone.
I really believe it takes a village to grow a business and that looks different to everyone.
There have been times when that means having a good cry on Brian’s shoulder after a particularly rough day, chatting with a business bestie about the best way to handle a sticky client situation, or working with a business coach to help me see my own blind spots and build the damn thing.
But whether you're a brand new solopreneur or a well-seasoned business owner, I highly encourage you to consider the kind of support you’re needing in the coming year.
Because I believe that asking for the support you need is one of the foundational ways you build a balanced life AND thriving business, making it one of your biggest strengths rather than a sign of weakness.
So as you journal on your goals for the coming year, ask yourself:
→ What kind of support do I need to actually REACH those goals?
Perhaps it’s hiring a mindset and sales coach (like me!) to work with so you can become more aware of your blind spots and reach those goals for more income and impact.
Or maybe it’s to grow your team so you can step into your role as CEO.
Maybe you’re feeling a pull for more community and a high-level mastermind is more your style.
No matter what it is, open yourself up to the different ways you can get the support you need.
The mindset shift: You don’t have to do it all alone. Ask yourself what it would look like if you had the support you needed to grow your life and business and then commit to asking for that support.
The bottom line:
Don’t let yourself get so caught up in trying to follow someone else’s path to success, that you forget to check in with what actually feels best and most aligned to you (because that is ALWAYS what is going to create the best results!).
Because it isn’t actually about finding the perfect onboarding system or creating the perfect PDF. It’s about cultivating the right mindset so you can get results like more leads, clients, and money in the bank—EVEN IF you don’t have all those things in place quite yet.
It’s easy to tell yourself there’s something standing in your way, but more often than not, you already have everything you need to get started working toward your goals today and it’s simply your own thoughts and beliefs that need to shift.
If you’re ready to ditch the one-size-fits-all plan and get the personalized 1:1 support to create the life and business that is both profitable AND fulfilling, I would love to support you IN mindset + sales coaching.
Honestly, this is yet another reason so many of my clients have their highest income months in our work together (like one that had an $18k month while traveling + coworking and another who hit a $20k month with far more ease than they thought!).
And I know that the same is possible for you. If you’d like to get a taste of what coaching with me is like AND bust through your biggest mindset challenge around closing sales and landing that first or next client, I’d love for you to join me on my free Sincere Sales coaching call. Just click here and find a time that works for you!
Tell me in the comments below:
Which of these myths resonated with you the most? How are you committed to shifting your mindset and doing things differently this year?
Photography by Jennifer Morgan Photography
