Everybody has goals. Lose some weight, save some money, do that workshop, visit that place. And most people aren't making them happen. sure, you chip away, little bit here, little bit there. Consistency is the real pain. I can't recall how many things I've gotten into and out of, rapidly sometimes. I wanted to share the "how" I'm doing on things and the path to where I'm at. I think it will be useful to you.
Current Goals
- Help people
- Build valuable relationships
- Healthy body & mind
Where I Started
Everyone starts somewhere (I mention this a lot). I have kicked around ideas and notions for years. Last summer (2023) I decided to stop kicking ideas around and jump on them. The first idea, and the point of this blog, was to do consulting. In every position I have held, the most rewarding piece has been helping people find better solutions. Solutions about work, life, whatever. I love doing process development. I REALLY like to do facility design...which includes process development. So in July I started on my journey with PaperNeck BottleWorks.
Goals are something I have a love-hate relationship with. Fitness is typically the goal set with the biggest failure rate, though finances can be a close second. to address my shortcomings, I've stepped up my reading. Mostly self improvement and business type books. Not the type of thing for everyone, for sure. I find audiobooks serve me best. Why waste your commute when it can be learning about new ideas and perspectives. Proper goal setting and accountability to achieve is my primary driver here.
Starting Somewhere & the First Goal
I like to say start somewhere, so i'll note where my goals started. A book I came across on Audible was "10x Mentor" by Grant Cordone. He is a successful businessman with numerous published works. This was my first exposure to the guy. I recommend the book, if you're interested. The point here is how he handles goals. He writes them down. Every day and every night before bed. Most people never articulate their goals to paper or anything else. So I decided to start with writing down my goals.
Being super original and innovative, I started with:
"I will be the best improvement leader in Utah" ( am based near Salt Lake, if you never noticed)
Awesome! I'm doing it. One problem, though...what the hell does that mean? How do I get anywhere with this goal? I can hear the SMART goals people in back already chuckling about this. Its a process though, so let me move along here. Second try:
"Be the best consultant in Utah, $500k revenue first year."
An improvement, and some hard numbers. BTW, the book 10x proposes you take existing goals and ideate them to 10x. The line of thinking is you will expand your own horizons to meet the goal. You will be forced to think differently about how you approach it based on the 10x target. So I went with this. After a bit, I needed something to actually move me in a direction. Third rough variation:
"Best consultant in Utah, $500k 1st year, A+ network, be known for helping people."
Now, still not great. At this point I'm writing this down every day. So I'll take the win, even if I'm still working on what the hell I'm doing to get to ANY of these. The improvement here is I have recognized relationships are going to be the key to any level of success. I have also noted I need to be known. Obscurity kills lots of businesses who might otherwise succeed, something to consider for all of us.
Perspective & Priorities
At some point, something I read suggested a particular action. Take your whole list of goals and rank them. Fix the #1 to your "why" and then get rid of all but three or four. Those few goals you have left will enable you to achieve the deletions. This idea exploded in my brain. What I had been writing had evolved a bit and was now:
"Leading manufacturing consultant in Utah, $500k 1st year, build class A network, help people."
I had this exactly backwards. And the monetary piece wasn't useful either. The structure here was self-serving rather than fitting the purpose of this business. I want to help people. A film we were shown in philosophy 101 included a about service to others. The premise was their is no higher purpose. So right then, I resorted my goals.
- Help People
- Build valuable relationships
- Healthy body & mind
Action & Accountability
Every day after I write these down I consider each one. How can I help someone today? What does building (or maintaining) valuable relationships mean? How can I contribute to keeping a healthy body and mind? Something to note here, all three of these serve each other. Another key to the utility of this goal set. They are arguably not specifically metricable...so the SMART purists may dislike them. They work for me, I like the flexibility and the reward.
Help People
I keep a regular day job that is the most fulfilling work I have ever done. So each day includes a stroll to see where I can be of service. Sometimes the help is what I do as part of my formal job description, other times it is a contribution to the culture committee I am part of, or it is just engaging a fellow human and being real with them for a moment. The rest of my day includes work for the local ASQ section, family activities, neighborhood events. When "help people" is what you write down as your #1 goal, it is much easier to identify opportunities to do so.
Build Valuable Relationships
Perhaps this one is less obvious, perhaps not. A good friend suggested the term networking is just another word for finding a way to add value to someone else's situation. I think I agree. Networking has been a challenge for me in my life. I know a lot of people, though I don't believe I have done a good job of adding value to the relationships. In effort to build value I leverage the first goal. Meet someone new, learn about them, ask how you can be of assistance. My favorite question is "what sucks in your life? what would make it not suck?".Often this is a good ice-breaker too. They say everyone knows somebody who knows somebody, so to effect my goal, it makes sense to know as many "somebody's" as I can. Whether "somebody" is of any renown is immaterial. If I can help someone, I want to. Even better, I have made some amazing friends in the last nine months or so. I recommend this one.
Healthy Body & Mind
First off. Be kind and patient with yourself. Nothing worth having is usually fast or easy. Which does not mean it has to suck (the exercise part). I mentioned the fitness side of things has not been something I win at much. I keep trying though. Health of the body impacts health of the mind, more-so as I get older I notice. So give these things time and space. If you fail, try again. How many business books endlessly suggest to us we need to try and try and try? Same for your health. Don't give up.
Accountability
Get a partner. Someone to keep you on track and you for them. Write down your goals and track them. I track my exercise in two places. Weight and meals in two. Talk about your health with your spouse/partner/friends. Talk about your goals. Set joint goals. One of my goals is about relationships, leverage your relationships to help yourself (you are one of the people to be helped too).
When goal setting for your health, use those SMART principles. (I took too long to get here, huh?) I prefer to set goals I will hit. I set minimum activity goals per day. Then, even if you have a really bad day, you can get your minimum done. this will help you keep momentum. Don't sacrifice your momentum. I did this with exercise recently and it has been hard to get back on this horse.
Goals & Start. Somewhere.
Start. Somewhere., the structure for all my consulting work, is about finding goals to set. Starting with why, we're going to find the ideal goals to improve your business. I've spent the better part of 20 years figuring out this system. It has come from failure, success, frustration, and breakthroughs.
Inline with my goals, Start. Somewhere. is really about helping people. Too many are stuck (at work) with inadequate systems, poorly optimized process, and leadership vacuums. Start. Somewhere. and the accessory programs are designed to reverse the suck. If you like the idea of setting the right goals and getting started in the right direction, book a consultation. Free.
What are you waiting for?
