3 simple steps to setting goals

You have heard the start up success stories of entrepreneurs such as:

Richard Branson - (brand – Virgin), started off with £300 capital - estimated worth £3.6 billion.

Sir Charles Dunstone - (brand - Carphone Warehouse) started off with £6,000 capital - estimated worth £1.49 billion.

Lord Sugar – (brand – Amstrad) started off with £100 capital estimated worth £900 million.

I could continue and list many more names from the UK and across the globe. The question that comes to mind and one that has been asked many times is what did these people do that has got them to where they are today?

Jenny Treadwell was the first woman to win a divisional championship in her class of car racing. She left her full-time job as a paralegal worker to follow her passion in a male dominated profession. Jenny has been quoted to say, “You know, I would like to say that I had it all figured out in advance, but I really didn’t. I just decided to take a leap of faith and start working it out.” Jenny’s advice to others is “There’s never going to be a good time to do it move past your fear whatever it is. It’s easy to focus on that part, but focus on your potential.”

As Jenny has pointed out most people focus on fear rather than focusing on what they want to achieve. Do you think Richard Branson, Charles Dunstone and Lord Sugar focused on fear? No, they focused on their potential and their dreams.

Many clients at the beginning of their coaching sessions find it difficult to articulate clearly what their goal is. They have a dream or an idea of what they want to achieve but they are scared to vocalise or write this down. They are stopped by fear, which can be conscious or unconscious. 

Your journey to your goals may not be clear and linear and yes you might take the wrong turn but you will know when that has happened and you will self-correct, but don’t let taking the wrong turn hold you back. You have to start your journey to find out which is the right turn. 

As so many clients are held back with fear I wanted to share my top tips for acknowledging the fear and moving forward anyway.

1. Identify your goals and write these down – research has shown that by writing down your goals you are 42% more likely to achieve these. A goal that is held in the mind is likely to be mixed up with other 1500 thoughts per minute that an average human being experiences.

2. How do you feel when you write down your goal? – do you feel excitement or do you get a strange nervous feeling in your body? Acknowledge that feeling and think of a past achievement and the feeling you had when you achieved your success. Now keep that feeling in your mind and body and think of your goal and shout yes!

3. Break down your journey towards your goal and write down the small steps you will be taking – It is important that you break down your goal as sometimes the big goal can become overwhelming increasing the fear factor. By just breaking this down into small steps puts the fear at ease.

Following the three simple steps above can help you develop strategies to reach goals that once seemed so far away. 

Roshina Khan

Professional and business life coach.