The top 5 myths in goal-setting for next year (and the mindset to cultivate instead for more results!)
I roll my eyes at the Facebook ads that pop up in my feed promising a “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 I don’t believe there’s any ONE way to spend the holidays, I don’t think there’s one way to achieve success in life and business.
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 San Diego 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 learned to roll with the punches 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 or the roast was burned and 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 lady, this post is for you. Because I really, truly believe there isn’t ONE way to do life and business, the same way there isn’t ONE way to spend the holidays.
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 get 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: You HAVE to have a word of the year
Having a “word of the year” is all the rage right about now. And for good reason—that kind of intention in your everyday can create an amazing foundation for filtering decisions and being more intentional about how you run your life and business. So I’m totally on board with that!
But I’ve also seen it become a bit of a distraction for many entrepreneurs and small business owners. You see, it’s easy to get so caught up in the planning process that you forget that real results are based in action. Because having a plan is only PART of the equation and executing on that plan or intention is where the real magic happens. It’s those ACTIONS that yield results rather than the PLANNING of those actions.
Think of it like this: my word of the year last year was “visible” but deciding that was a very small part of making it a reality. If I had decided on a word and then done nothing about it, well there’s a good chance I would have been exactly where I was when I started. But by setting an intention to put myself out there more, and then consequently starting the podcast, pitching other podcasts, attending more in-person events, booking more coffee chats, the list goes on, I was able to see that word show up for me in my life and business.
The mindset shift: Your word of the year is simply a tool to help you filter your actions. Don’t spend so much time and energy searching for the “perfect” word that you forget that real results are based in action.
MYTH #2: If you only had the “perfect” planner or software then you would xyz...
If you’ve been kicking around here for a while, you likely 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, learning, and tweaking as you grow.
So it will come as no surprise that I don’t believe that any software or planner will ever meet every single one of your needs. And even SEARCHING for one can be a very overwhelming task. There are so many options available and they’re all designed differently and suit different purposes. But here’s the thing: you don’t even need the “perfect” tool to see more results. Because ultimately, it’s YOU that makes things happen.
I’m a huge fan of the Powersheets Planner because of its beautiful design and how easily it helps you break down those big goals into small consistent efforts. However, if I didn’t do the work it outlines each month and simply let it collect dust on my bookshelf, you better believe I wouldn’t see any results from that.
The mindset shift: Whether you’re on the hunt for a new physical planner or an onboarding software, don’t let the search for something “perfect” stand in the way of finding something “good enough” and then moving into action.
MYTH #3: What you want can only show up in one way (or not at all)
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? But too often, clients become super attached to exactly HOW it’ll happen. Look, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a plan, but I do think sometimes you 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.
When I started my coaching business, I wanted to work with women who are really passionate about creating a life and business that works for them. But here’s the thing: those people who need my help the MOST, likely aren’t there quite yet. They’re likely feeling scattered and overwhelmed and may not have sorted through exactly what that looks like. But that’s actually where I SHINE in helping them. If I had closed myself off to only working with women who were really excited about what they do, well I would have closed myself off from SO MANY people that I could help.
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 come.
MYTH #4: Set realistic goals so you can actually achieve them
I’m always surprised by how many of the women that I work with in Future You have stopped dreaming about their bigger vision, caught up in the minute details of what’s actually possible for their life and business. 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-boxed 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, engaged to the love of my life, and 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 feels completely out of reach.
The mindset shift: Open yourself up to what your life and business would look like if you dreamed BIGGER and didn’t just settle for what feels realistic to you now.
MYTH #5: It’s all on you
One of the biggest shifts I see in entrepreneurs is the realization that they don’t have to go at it alone. It 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 coach to help me see my own blind spots and find opportunities for massive growth (both personally and professionally!).
But whether you’re 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 evaluate your goals for the coming year, remember to get the support you need to REACH those goals. Perhaps it’s hiring a coach 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 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 finding the perfect planning process, system, or tool that you forget that the right mindset will help you get results 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.
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
