10 Steps for Setting Goals with Soul for Your Coaching  Business!

Despite research that finds people who set, write down and go after their goals are generally happier, healthier, and make more money, the majority of people don’t do it.

But, life’s like that, isn’t it?

We know lots of things that are good for us.

Yet, we don’t necessarily do them, like eating well, drinking less alcohol, sleeping enough, exercising consistently and saving money for retirement.

In this blog, I am going to give you 10 Steps for Setting Goals.

But not just any old goals.

We are going to look at Goals with Soul and how they can help you be happier and more successful in your life and in your business.

I’ve even thrown in a bonus step that will help in a surprising way.

Step One: Understand that Success Requires Personal Development

In his book, The Inner Game of Tennis, author Tim Gallwey wrote about how his athletes improved when they worked on the inner game.

And what is the inner game?

It’s the obstacles, the limiting beliefs, the habits and the old programming we all carry within us.

We have to be willing to do the inner work if we want to grow ourselves, our lives and our coaching businesses. 

You are fooling yourself if you think you can simply write down a goal for your business and put it in a drawer beside your desk.

You will need to do work. And the first work is on you. 

 

As you work toward the achievement of your goal, take note of the obstacles that keep getting in your way.

• It might be a limiting belief about what you are capable of.
• It might be a bad habit of giving up when things get hard.
• Take notice of fearful thoughts, self-doubts or lack of drive.
• These are all part of the inner game you need to deal with. 

Step Two: Get Clear On Why You Are Setting Goals In the First Place!

If you’ve been around the personal development, self-improvement and personal growth world, you may be very blasé about goal setting and goal achievement.

However, it is a cornerstone of all Coaching and I set goals with all my clients, especially when they are feeling stuck and trying to get a business off the ground. 

But why? Why are goal-setting and goal achievement foundational to self development?

Because goals are all about growing. 

Every expression of life is moving in one direction or another.

We are either moving forward, or sliding back. There is no standing still.

And so, if you are not intentional about growing, you may find yourself unintentionally falling behind.

Remind yourself that goals are a powerful way to keep you moving forward in your life and in your business. 

Step Three: Connect Your Goals With Your Values

Your values are the feelings and experiences you have in your life that make you feel alive.

The brilliant author Joseph Campbell wrote that he didn’t think people were looking for the meaning of life, rather they were looking for the experiences of feeling fully alive. 

I just love that. 

It’s all about connecting with your core self, your creative energy, and the Creative Energy of the Universe.

One way to connect with your core self, your creative energy and the Universe is to intentionally “follow your Bliss.”

Your own bliss is in the things of your life that make you come alive. In coaching, we call those your Core Values. 

Make sure your goals connect with your core values, otherwise, working on achieving them will feel like a difficult grind.

You’ve got to connect with the joy in your goal. That’s what gives it the soul. 

Step Four: Make Sure Your Goal is For You and Not For Someone Else

Do you have the feeling that you’ll be letting someone down by leaving a secure 9-5 job with benefits?

Did you go into a profession to make your parents happy?

Are you stalled committing to your own business because it’s not what your family wants? 

It is really an empty experience to go after a goal that isn’t even your own.

Goal achievement is hard enough when you are totally aligned.

When you do not resonate with your goal, you will feel bland and bored and possibly a little angry!

Get clear on what you really want. What you really really want!

There is only one YOU and remember, only you can do you.

There are goals that are meant for you, and you’ll know that because they will resonate with you. In other words, you’ll feel it in your soul. You’ll just know it’s right. 

Step Five: Set One Primary Goal at a Time. 

There is a saying; First Things First.

But many of us end up doing Second Things First.

It can be because we lacked the focus to set priorities. Or it may be a clever way to avoid the goal that means the most and is the hardest to accomplish. 

Take some time to figure out which of your goals is your primary goal.

Gary Keller in his book The One Thing asks this question that can help:

“What’s the one thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?” Gary Keller

It’s a skill to learn to prioritize. And it’s a part of personal growth to commit to that priority.

Do your best to focus on that one really important goal and have smaller goals around it, but don’t let them take up your whole focus. 

Step Six: Take Action!

I’m working with a client who has one action to take everyday to achieve her big goal of getting her business back up and running.

Yes indeed. ONE action. But she has to take it every day, no matter what?

Not taking action is the killer of all dreams.

And not taking action is usually because of fear. Fear holds us back, keeps us stuck and generally ruins the party. 

The best way around fear is to go through it. We do that by taking action no matter how we feel.

Sometimes, you have to make that action really really small. And that’s okay. It’s like developing a muscle.

Start small but do it consistently and you will see results.

As you see results, your confidence grows and you will take bigger actions.

The key for achieving your goals is to keep taking action no matter what. 

And recognize that it’s through action that you’ll start to see the right path, you’ll start to meet the right people, you’ll start to see your life grow and your goal getting closer and closer to achievement. 

Step Seven: Don’t Give Up!

Oh… it’s so painful to watch people give up.

I used to give up. I had to really work on myself to develop persistence. 

Think of your goal as a seed ready to plant.

Would you give up if you didn’t see it sprout as quickly as you wanted? 

It’s impossible to know what the timeline will be for your goal. Yes, you can set a date, but chances are good you’ll be adjusting it as you go along. 

There is a great story about the farmer who bought a plot of land in Texas and started digging to find oil.

Weeks and weeks of digging, not finding any oil, and then moving to a new spot made them tired and they gave up and sold the land. 

The next owner, went to the very first hole that was dug originally, and dug down further. Guess what? They struck oil. 

The first farmer gave up too quickly with the very first hole and all the subsequent holes. 

Don’t give up.

Yes, adjust, reassess, ask for advice and take a break…just don’t give up.

You just never know when the next big opportunity for success will appear. 

Step Eight: Visualize The Results You Are After

Humans have the capacity to use their imagination. In fact, it’s really the first step in all creation:

Imagine what you want. 

You too can use your brain that way by simply engaging in your goal more directly. For example, spend a little time each morning writing out your primary goal. Let yourself imagine what your life would look like when that goal is achieved. 

Keep your journal in the present tense.

You are imprinting on your subconscious mind the image of your goal coming to life.

That does a couple of things. 

First, it activates your Reticular Activating System (RAS), the part of the brain that goes looking for your goal.

You know how after test driving a new Spark you start to see them everywhere?

That’s your RAS. It sees what you are looking for.

By continually reviewing the results of your goal, your brain will start to see how it can make it happen. 

Second, by imagining your goal already accomplished, you will be feeling the joy of it also.

That means, you are vibrating at the level of its completion.

The Law of Attraction teaches, “like attracts like.”

That means the Universal Law  of Attraction will attract to you what you are thinking and feeling.

It may not be an exact match, but it will be close.

We always need to allow for the Universe to bring something even better! 

Step Nine: Make a Plan

I can’t stress this enough. If you think of your goal achievement like a roadmap, first you need a destination (the goal), but you also need to know where you are starting from and some of the key destinations along the way. 

Planning is the blueprint for the construction of your goal.

It lets you know it’s possible.

And it gives you the steps you need to take.

By breaking the goal done into milestones, or objectives or projects or next actions and then tasks, you will know what action you need to take each day.

By taking those actions, you are moving in the direction of your dream. Yippee!!!

Step 10: Connect With Others for Accountability and Support

There is a reason why there are so many coaches out there these days; Coaching works. 

There are different ways you can have that support and accountability.

Ask a friend. Ask a few friends. I have a Goals Group that meets every week for one hour to review our wins, the things that need improvement, and the actions for the following week. 

It’s so helpful. It’s hard to stay committed and in action by yourself.

Of course, I am available to help you too. Just send me a message through the Contact button at the top right of the page and we can talk.

BONUS Step: Surrender The Obstacles 

Ask yourself this every day or week or month as you progress on achieving your goals:

What questions or obstacles do I need to surrender to the Universe right now? 

This isn’t about my business, but it’s a great example of letting things go.

Many years ago, I was really committed to finding a relationship that would lead to marriage.

I read books, took courses, watched videos andlistened to podcast  nonstop, trying to understand dating, myself, relationships.

Phew. I was exhausted.

Then one day I just gave up.

I said to myself, and maybe out loud:

“That’s it. I don’t want to do this anymore. I am so obsessed, it doesn’t feel good and it’s not working.

I can be happy alone. Yes I can. And so, I am letting this whole thing go.”

I really felt it. And I really felt relief.

Three days later, I was introduced to the man who would become my husband.

And we are living happily ever after.

There is both comfort and power  in letting things go. As Gabby Bernstein’s book says: The Universe Has Your Back.

Learn to follow what is given for you to do in the moment, and to do it with as much joy and love as possible.

Everything else, let it go.

Hope you enjoyed the read. I enjoyed the write.

Thanks for reading,  Lisa