In an industry beaten down by declining market conditions, hostile sellers and constant guideline changes, defining your WHY may be easier said than done.Still, I guarantee that you had one when you first got started.Tapping back into that is the key to your continued success.Your first step is determining why you do what you do every day and what you envision that dream job to look like.
Find a quiet place and ask yourself a few questions:
- Why did you first become self-employed? Time, money, freedom? Is that still your reason and if not, does this align with your overall goals?
- What did you enjoy most about your new job at the beginning of your career?
- What could you talk about for days on end? Do you still feel the same?
We all need motivation to keep moving forward.Your WHY gives you the power to push through the tough times and the motivation to dig deep when nothing seems to be going your way.Your second step is to create a plan of action and stick to it. No excuses!
Organize, Plan & Track Your Goals
According to recent statistics published by the Small Business Administration, two out of the Top 10 Reasons Business’ Fail are a lack of planning and poorly defined goals.Running your business without a plan or goal is like hopping in the car for a 2000 mile trip without a map, GPS or sense of direction.Seems crazy, yet thousands of us step into self-employed life every day without a roadmap. As the saying goes,
“He who fails to plan, plans to fail.”
Here are a few FREE online goal setting tools to get you started.
43things
This fun and free online goal setting tool not only allows you to set your own goals, but track and follow recommendations from fellow members.
Joe’s Goals
This is an easy to use but effective online tool that is great for tracking your everyday goals. For instance, how many leads have you followed up with or how many blogs you have written this week.Similar to Active Rain, it’s built on a points system. You add and subtract points for the tasks you check off your list and subtract for the ones you fail to do.Great motivation in my opinion to get those tasks done!
LifeTango
I love the helpful wizard that comes with this tool that stimulates your brain with questions like: “What's one work project/venture you'd like to complete?”After answering a series of questions similar to this one, LifeTango will recommend goals based on your answers.Then you simply choose from those and track your progress. You can also share with friends to keep you focused!So what are you waiting for? Turn your Passion into Profit by defining your WHY and turning that list of someday to-do’s into tomorrow’s success stories!
About Rebekah Radice
Rebekah Radice, co-founder of BRIL.LA, has traded narcissism for purpose. When not driving growth, you'll find her tricking family into thinking she's Emeril Lagasse - likely covered in marinara. The spotlight was fun, but impact is better. These days she's using 20+ years of brand brilliance for good.