As 2012 winds down, many of us look through our calendars to look at all we’ve accomplished over the year. If you’re like me, it’s with a hint of trepidation as you’re worried you’ll let yourself down because you neglected one of your business resolutions.
It’s just like the resolution to exercise – everyone starts out fine in January, but as the year goes along the less we commit. Everything else (also known as “life”) gets in the way of going to the gym, so by December you’ve given away your membership card to someone who will actually use it.
The business resolutions you made in early 2012 probably ran the same course as your personal ones. Some you held steadfast, like earning over 2011’s profits or networking on a bigger scale. Others, though, fell by the wayside, like your goal of posting a blog post every day or selling bigger items for quicker profit.
The point is you made those resolutions, and you succeeded in some even though you didn’t quite it make it in others. Here are two approaches to 2013’s resolutions that could help you make it an even better year.
Don’t Worry About It
Did the world come crashing to a halt when you didn’t exercise enough this year? Was everyone disappointed in you when you didn’t mow the lawn like you were going to? Or was it just a matter of “well, I gave it a shot” and nobody really reacted strongly?
Your business resolutions are fine goals. They are areas you want to improve, which is a good thing. However, are they the areas you SHOULD be improving? Perhaps there are other areas where you could focus your attention that need it more than you think.
Usually what happens with resolutions is they get passed over for more interesting things. In your personal life, that could be a bad thing – you need exercise, for example, and to eat healthy meals. Your business resolutions, though, may be a sign of what you need to focus on more in your business.
For example, if you wanted to get way more clients but didn’t quite make it, that’s a bummer. However, if you also worked on attracting bigger fish clients, therefore resulting in more money, that’s not a bummer. This could be what you should focus on in the future.
Buckle Down
The only thing that’s preventing you from achieving your resolutions and goals is you. If you could only focus and make it happen, you’d be much more successful.
Yeah, that sounds great and all, but what’s it really do for you? You can tell yourself that you’re not getting it done all day, but if the end result is the same, what’s the point? You have to come up with a plan or you’re going to end 2013 the way you ended 2012: a little down in the dumps.
So “buckling down” has less to do with actually doing what you need to do and sitting down and coming up with a plan. Think about that exercise resolution; wasn’t one of the big problems not having a routine to follow? You can say “I’m going to exercise” and it’s a total different thing to say “I’m going to jog, then lift, and play a little basketball.” One is a generic statement; the latter is a specific plan you can follow.
Do the same with your business resolutions. Don’t write down “get clients” and “start a blog.” Write down “gain at least one new client every three months in this field” and “post a blog at least every week about these subjects.” This can make everything easier to get into since you’re not overwhelmed with a dozen aimless tasks at once. Suddenly it’s just a breakdown of a few things you must do every week or so.
What’s your major business goal for 2013?