October 2007

It’s that time of the year again. Time to start thinking about our goals for the upcoming year.

In 2006 I rocked my own world with my goal list. For 2007 I waited too long to think about my own goals and by the time the new year hit I was unprepared to decide so quickly what I wanted to achieve. My list of goals turned into a task list. One without much thought and direction. Anyone can make a task list when it’s for groceries or chores. When setting business and personal goals you need to put more thought into it if you really want to accomplish something. If you like lists, stay tuned…they’ll come into play later in this series.

While goals can be set any time of the year, January 1st marks the start of the new year and what better time? Everyone is thinking about New Years resolutions at that time of year, whether they love them or disdain them. The buzz is in the air. Let’s do it together and hold each other accountable. (Watch for what I mean coming soon!)

So, where do you begin?

Start now and give them thought.
Starting to think about your goals right now, November-ish, will give them time to sink into our realities. Does that sound sister-woo-woo enough for you? Seriously, they say “where our thoughts flow, our actions will go.” Or something like that. Set goals that are in your heart. Pay attention to what you have been wanting to do and haven’t accomplished. Let’s make this the year.

Different Types of Goals

Business Goals.
Have you been kicking around the idea of being published but just haven’t gotten around to it? Start thinking now about what that looks like. A magazine? A book? A contribution to someone’s blog or tutorial book? Maybe it’s just getting a photograph of a piece into a magazine.

Do you have an idea for sales this year? Double last years income? Three sets of beads a week? Start thinking now about what you want/need to do in the way of sales.

Do you want to add a show this year? Start thinking now about how you will do that. That will give you plenty of time to seek a show and meet their application deadline; and apply to others if one doesn’t pan out. How many times does a show come along and you find that you needed to apply three months ago?

What about juried submissions? Maybe this coming year you would like to focus on getting into juried shows and exhibits. Start thinking about that now.

Personal goals?
January 1st often brings up the dreaded (for some) idea of New Years resolutions. Things like, losing weight, being more disciplined, getting the kids to school on time consistently, keeping the house cleaner, etc. The joke is always, how long will we keep them?

Personal goals are especially hard to stick to because it’s easy to put ourselves on the back burner and give family and work a higher priority. You know in your head that if you are achieving your personal goals that many other things fall into place. Be thinking about that. What do you need to do this year in that regard? Excercise? Eat better? Give up something that is bad for you? Be kinder? Change an attitude? These can go under “Personal Goals” when we get to actually setting goals.

Family/Household Goals.
Many people in the bead business are work-at-home-moms or part-timers. What would you like to accomplish this year? Maybe it’s to make enough extra money to hire someone to do the cleaning! Maybe it’s keeping up with the laundry. Or getting your kids to start pitching in. Maybe it’s to spend more time with family. It may sound impossible but you’ll get tips on how to be successful in this series. If you could do anything, what would it be? Start thinking about it now.

Spiritual Goals?
What does this have to do with your business? If you’re a spiritual person – Everything. Don’t underestimate the power of spiritual goals. Maybe it’s praying, meditating, being conscious of how you behave in the business world. Maybe it’s to be conscious of how you treat your environment. Maybe you’ve been thinking about getting back to church. Think about it but don’t just choose spiritual goals because they’re mentioned here. If it resonates with you, go for it.

So, now that you get the idea of what kinds of goals we’ll be setting, make a list of those headings and paste them in front of your work area. Or on your bathroom mirror. Let the list remind you of areas you would like to focus on this year.

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