Category: Business Tips

Think about the last goal you set.

If you have any interest in self-improvement, growing a business or achieving, well, anything, you’ve probably read about the study that says people who write down their goals are guaranteed to be zillionaires and everyone else is doomed to toil in a cube farm until they’re 85.

(Something like that, anyway.)

You’ve probably also heard ad nauseam that your goals need to be S.M.A.R.T. That is, specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.

Sounds sensible, right?

You’re bright and ambitious. So, chances are, you’ve sat down a few times with pen and paper and dutifully squished a dream of yours into the S.M.A.R.T. format.

And then somehow failed to make it happen… and then blamed yourself for it.

Ugh, I have no willpower.

So lazy. Too busy.

I guess I’m just not cut out to run a marathon / launch a business / take the organization to the next level. 

But chances are it wasn’t a lack of willpower or a too-busy life that scuppered your goal—it was the goal itself.

You Need a G.I.A.N.T. Goal

Now, the general idea behind S.M.A.R.T. goals is sound. After all, you won’t get far if your goal is vague, unmeasurable, irrelevant to your life, completely unrealistic and on no timeline to boot.

What S.M.A.R.T. fails to take into account is that people aren’t robots. Even if we have a plan with specific, measurable tasks on a timeline that will get us to a realistic goal, a host of invisible, often overlooked factors affect whether we will actually do those tasks.

To achieve your next goal, address the invisible factors.

Make sure your goal is G.I.A.N.T.: Genuine, immediate, aligned, nonnegotiable and thrilling.

Genuine

What’s your motivation for tackling this particular goal? Research shows that you are far less likely to work hard and persevere toward extrinsically motivated goals.

That is, if your goal is to start a business because it will impress others, or because your entrepreneur father expects it of you, you are much less likely to follow through than if you want to start a business because you crave the self-determination and, yes, responsibility that entrepreneurship demands. Find motivation for your goal that comes from within.

And, for that matter, make sure this is actually a goal of yours in the first place. A lot of us set “should” goals, especially around New Year’s. “I should do a triathlon.” “I should lose weight.”

Ask yourself: do I really, truly want this? Is this my goal or someone else’s? 

Here’s the problem with pursuing a goal out of obligation rather than motivation that wells up from your souls—as soon as the going gets tough, you are liable to go, “forget it, there’s a Simpsons rerun on I’ve been meaning to watch,” rather than summon the grit and gusto you need to press on. 

Immediate

While “Lose 10 pounds by April 1” is a good, specific starting point for a goal, your chances of success are much higher if you translate the goal into immediate actions and decisions you’ll need to make each day, moment by moment. Identify the strategies you’ll use to make those decisions and handle challenging situations. 

For example, “if someone brings a treat to the office, I will politely decline and chew gum instead” or “I will go to the gym every weekday after work. I’ll bring a small snack to eat beforehand so I can’t use hunger as an excuse to skip my workout.” 

Also, associate immediate rewards with the actions you’re taking. “When I go to the gym, I will listen to my favorite music on my iPod and feel strong and vibrant. After my workout, I’ll shower and spend a few minutes relaxing in the hot tub.”

Aligned

Your life must be aligned to your goal. Once you’ve identified the actions you’ll need to take to achieve your goal—which may include negative actions, such as “stop getting a jumbo Frappamochalatteccino with extra whip every afternoon”—figure out how to modify your schedule, physical environment, social environment, habits and work style in order to make those actions as close to effortless as possible. 

Pack your gym bag the night before. Quit the PTA. Spend more time with that one super-healthy friend you have. Instead of going to your usual coffee shop, go to a new spot and get a skim-milk London Fog with sugar-free syrup or another low-cal treat. 

Nonnegotiable

A halfhearted goal is an unachieved goal. Make sure your goal is Genuine, acknowledge the changes and challenges involved in achieving it, and then commit.

Focus on the outcome and the day-to-day rewards you get from the pursuit of the goal—rather than, say, dwelling on the difficulty of giving up that Frappamochalatteccino.

Thrilling

Here’s another place where S.M.A.R.T. falls flat.

“Attainable” is often synonymous with “realistic,” which is often synonymous with “watered down.”

Pick a genuine goal that electrifies you, even if you aren’t entirely sure how to achieve it yet. (That’s what research is for.) Pick a goal that gives you butterflies and makes you grin when you think about achieving it. Pick a goal that makes you feel excited to be alive.

This year, what are you goals are you going to achieve using our G.I.A.N.T. framework?

Maybe you’re tired. Overworked. Overwhelmed. If your inbox pings one more time, so help you, you will sell your business (or quit your job), empty your savings account and hop the next flight to Zanzibar. 

Houston, you have a problem.

Because authentic marketing requires passion. You must believe that the world needs what you’re promoting — otherwise your words will ring hollow and nobody will hear you.

But what if your roaring bonfire of passion for your business has fizzled to a heap of charcoal?

First of all, make sure you’re getting enough sleep, staying hydrated and eating a vegetable once in a while. It’s hard to be passionate when you are physically drained.

Next, follow our ten-step process to relight your fire and rekindle your business passion.

Ten Steps to Rekindle Your Business Passion

1. Envision success

Close your eyes and take deep breaths. Relax your shoulders. Unclench your jaw. Create a moment of peacefulness.

Now, let’s have some fun. Center your mind on your business, whether it’s a struggling family venture, a nonprofit you work for, or just the spark of an idea. What does business success look like for you? Lines of customers out the door? A record year-end donation campaign? A downtown storefront?

Imagine that ideal scene. Flesh it out. Make it real.

Dream up a scene you can watch like a movie. Imagine surveying your new storefront with pride or reporting your campaign results to a surprised and grateful board of directors. What does success look like? How does it feel?

Make your ideal scene a sort of “happy place” you can return to and get strength from when the going gets tough. Set a reminder to spend five minutes every morning reliving this scene.

2. Find your why

Articulate your deeper reason for wanting your business to succeed. Maybe you want to make the most elegantly designed widgets in the world. Maybe you want to leave your mark on your town. Maybe you want to help people who have the problem your product solves.

It’s not about money. Even if your off-the-cuff answer is “Because I want to get rich,” ask why. What will that wealth give you? Freedom from the need to work? A feeling of security?

Come up with a mission statement that embodies your soul-deep reasons for doing what you do. Write it somewhere you’ll see it every day.

Or, better yet, make it a manifesto and put it on your website. Let your customers see your passion and share your mission.

3. Chart your course

A sense of progress is critical to human happiness. Once you have your big-picture view of business success, identify milestones for the near future so you can feel successful as often as you can.

4. Involve someone

It takes a village to make a business successful. Don’t try to go it alone. Even if you are a solopreneur with a budget so small it makes your accountant cry, you can still enlist help—at least in the form of emotional support—from friends, family and colleagues.

Stuck on a thorny problem? Reach out to someone who has been there and might be tickled to share his or her insights. Ask a kid for advice. You never know where a solution will come from.

Launching a business but everybody you know works a 9-5? Join (or start) a local coffee chat for entrepreneurs.

5. Empty your brain

Even if everything else is fine, you may still suffer from a paucity of passion if you are carrying around your entire to-do list in your head.

(“File articles of incorporation, ask Janice about merits of Aweber versus Mailchimp, reschedule dentist appointment, fix leaky faucet in the downstairs bathroom, write project narrative for grant application, ask Ahmed for a reference letter, pick up milk and spinach…“)

Remembering takes cognitive work. Spend a few minutes with a notepad and do a brain dump. Write down everything on your plate and on your mind.

Once you know you aren’t going to forget to send a birthday card to Aunt Carol because you wrote it down, you’ll be able to dedicate full attention to your business.

6. Outsource scut work

No matter how psyched you are about your business, there is something about it that you hate doing. Filling out tax forms, perhaps. Or calling that one lucrative, but perpetually cranky client. When this task is on your to-do list, it casts a pall over the entire day.

Identify the dreaded task and figure out a way to make it less awful. Can you pay somebody else to do it? Can you call Mr. Cranky Pants from the parking lot outside the pub where your friends are about to meet you for happy hour?

7. Go away

Sometimes you just need a break. Schedule a getaway every three to six months to recharge your batteries.

No extra money? Spend the weekend camping at a state park. Go visit your old college roommate who lives two hours away.

8. Learn something

Reconnect with your passion for your field by learning something new about it. Or shore up your skills in an area where you feel weak.

Take a class, hire a coach, find a mentor, subscribe to industry blogs and publications, join a LinkedIn group, read a book, attend a seminar. Stretch your mind.

9. Pass it on

You don’t have to be a bona fide media-recognized expert to have valuable knowledge. Find a way to share what you know with someone who needs it.

Mentor a high school kid or an emerging entrepreneur. Volunteer for an organization that would be grateful for your expertise. Giving feels good.

10. Applaud yourself

When’s the last time you patted yourself on the back for all that you’ve accomplished thus far in your business journey and in your life as a whole? Bet it’s been a while.

Treat yourself to an afternoon or at least a few hours in a place conducive to reflection, such as a conservatory or a café in a museum. Bring a journal. Make a list of achievements big and small of which you can be proud.

Let yourself feel good about where you are on your journey—and about what amazing things lie ahead.