Running your own business can be very stressful and time-consuming. You will have long days, long nights and endless weekends at the office instead of at home. Problems will seem to arise every single day.  You will probably encounter moments of frustration where you wonder if it was all worth it.  If you get this feeling, you have to ask yourself one question: what are my goals?

Setting goals is very important not only for life but also when you decide to go into business for yourself.  Before you even open your doors, write out a list of goals and continuously update them throughout the days, months, and years. You will feel an incredible sense of accomplishment when you reach a goal, no matter how small or large it is. The physical act of writing out your goals is powerful in that you hold yourself accountable when you put an action plan down on paper.  Opening your own business will be one of the biggest decisions of your life so it makes sense to have short-term and long-term goals to attain the level of success you hope to achieve. Short-term goals are something that can be achieved in a day, week, or a few months.  An example would be: creating a business plan to start a business.  Long-term goals are something that you will achieve over a longer period of time such as over 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, or 20 years.  An example would be: in 5 years you plan to open up the 2^nd business.

Whether you are ready to start a business or not, it’s never too late to list out your goals and the ways in which you are going to achieve them.  If you are not familiar with writing out your goals you don’t have to worry as anyone can do it.  Below is an exercise you can try and you will see the benefits and the power of not only setting goals but also achieving them.

Exercise: pick something that you have wanted to do for a while but never seem to get around to doing. It can be something small, such as losing weight, or it can be something as big as traveling for a vacation. Write your goal down on a sheet of paper and the steps you are going to take to achieve this. For instance, if you want to lose a certain amount of weight in a month, create a calendar and write down what you intend to eat each day of the month and what you will do for exercise. Hang the calendar in a place where you will see it every day (i.e. refrigerator) and track your daily progress. You will quickly see how addicting it can be to move one day, one step closer to achieving your goal.  You will see results and you will know that you did it. Setting goals should be a priority for everyone.

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