[Exceptional Influence] Set Yourself Up For Your Dream Year
What Would It Take to Achieve Your Dream Year in Business?
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, ‘The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.’ And I couldn’t agree more.
Alexandra, a communication skills expert I was recently working with, had big dreams for her practice – among these was becoming a world-class speaker. Understanding that this was part of her big dream meant that she and I could work together to conceptualise what she needed to achieve that goal.
She started looking for mentors (and found some brilliant ones) and began attending speaking events by some of the best in the business. Each of these allowed her to find opportunities to hone her speaking skills until she was speaking on stages that she’d only dreamt of before.
Just like Alexandra, we all have dreams in our businesses and practices. So, what would a dream year look like for you?
Achieving your dream year
A great place to begin is to ask yourself, ‘What would my dream year look like?’ Once you understand your dreams, you then need to ask, ‘What would it take to achieve my dream year? What could I do to set myself up for success in the year ahead?’ This is really about setting goals.
The importance of goal-setting
At the core of every dream is a goal. If you want to achieve your dream year in your practice, you’ll want to start setting some goals for yourself. In my own business, I love setting goals. When I started setting myself goals and targets, it completely changed the game for my business. I was able to do more and achieve more every quarter – more than I ever thought possible.
Research studies have proven time and time again that setting goals has many benefits, including:
Gives us something to work towards, a purpose
Provides clarity
Boosts motivation
Drives productivity
Assists decision-making
Increases effort and output
Helps abate surrounding noise and distractions
Encourages behaviour that will support our goals
But setting goals alone is not enough. It’s also helpful to write them down and share them with someone else.
In her research study, Dr Gail Matthews explored accountability, commitment to goal-directed actions and the writing down of goals in the workplace. She found that over 70% of participants who sent weekly updates on their goals to a friend achieved either full or more-than-halfway completion of their goals. This compares to only 35% of participants who did not share or write down their goals.
The Dream Year
Knowing your ‘dream year’ means imagining your path ahead. Your past is your foundation, all the things that set you up to be right where you are today. This might include your mistakes and successes, which will inform your future.
The next level is the possibilities – these are all the things you can dream up for your year – the bigger the dream, the better.
But the highest level is where this all comes together. This is where your goals set yourself up to practically achieve your dreams this year!
Getting started – 10 questions to set yourself up for your dream year
If you’re ready to get started on achieving your dream year, begin with the questions below.
What did I achieve last year? Looking to the past can help us see what we want for our future. What successes from last year are you proud of? What would you like to emulate again?
What did I want to achieve but didn’t? What were your shortcomings last year? What do you hope to improve on this year?
What did I learn about myself last year? The good, the bad and the ugly... as we evolve, we are continuously learning new things about ourselves and our goals. A dream year for you now will likely look very different to a dream year for you 10 years ago.
What holds me back, and how will I prevent this next year? What are your greatest challenges, personally and in your practice? For example, do you need more staff, better equipment, facilities, or updated training? What can you do to overcome these?
What do I want my practice to look like this year? What would a typical day be like in your practice? What would the majority of projects look like? What tasks would you be doing, and what would you delegate to others?
How much do I want to sell? What would be your goal revenue for the year ahead?
Who would be the dream client this year? Describe the ideal client for your practice, then brainstorm how to attract them. Be specific.
What do I want to publish this year? Is there any marketing collateral you would love to create? Perhaps a whitepaper? Maybe a book? Put your imposter syndrome aside and write down your dream publishing goals.
What programs do I want to sell and deliver this year? Remember, this is your dream year, so get creative and stretch your imagination. If you had the confidence to put yourself out there, what programs would you catch yourself daydreaming about?
Who will help me to achieve my dream year? Brainstorm all of the people who could help you achieve the goals you have listed above. Perhaps a coach or mentor would give you the confidence to shine? Maybe you need staff with specific skills? Make a list of exactly who you need to help make your dream year a reality.