I've shared this before, but it warrants repeating: Only 4% of Americans write down their goals.
Let that sink in for a moment. Are you one of the four percent? If not, I challenge you to take this important step.
Putting pen to paper makes your goals concrete, allows them to enter your subconscious, and provides a bit of accountability. If those benefits aren't enough to motivate you, this next factoid may send you over the edge: People who write down their goals make 9 times more money over the course of their lifetimes than those who don't. WOAH! My guess is that's because people who write down their goals actually accomplish 9 times as much over the course of their lives than those who don't. The money is just a side effect of that productivity.
In the past month I've spent some time reflecting on where I'm at with my life and my business and thinking about what I hope this coming year will bring. I came up with some specific goals for this year and wanted to share them with you! Here is some of what I came up with:
Personal Goals
- Continue to prioritize time with God and exercise before other endeavors. Exercise at least 5 times per week.
- Continue on the journey I began in 2016 to transform my lifestyle to maximize nutrition and minimize exposure to toxins. Share my journey and what I'm learning with others personally, and through social media and my blog.
- Raise $10K for autism with the help of our Zoowalk team walking in October.
- Increase emergency fund savings by $20K.
- Get a new roof for my house along with needed external repairs.
- Continue to mentor and pour into at least 2 college-age girls.
Business Goals
- Shoot 15 weddings & book 40 associate weddings.
- Launch a new initiative for Align.
- Grow Align to serve more photographers and design 1,250 albums in 2017.
- Blog helpful content for photographers once per week.
- Launch a new product to help photographers attract and book more clients.
- Grow Rendezbooth and do at least 36 events in our first full year in business.
- Update and redecorate the office to be consistent with our branding.
- Read at least 5 business books.
There's something about a new year that makes it exciting to dream, set goals, and look ahead. If you haven't done so already, I challenge you to spend some time dreaming and writing down your goals.
Here are a few tips that are helpful when goal-setting:
1 - Make your goals concrete. Make them definable and able to be checked off.
2 - Don't be afraid to dream. Failure in this case isn't not finishing your list, it's not being willing to dream and write one in the first place.
3 - I'm a person of faith. If you know you're in the center of God's hand, write down your goals, but also surrender them wholeheartedly, knowing God may have a different (and much better) plan for your year.
4 - Be brave enough to write your goals down. Then be brave enough to share them with others. If you have a blog -- post them and share your journey.
5 - For some of your BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), start by breaking them down into action steps. This will make them less intimidating and help you to develop a practical strategy for tackling them that is achievable. It also helps you feel like you're making progress when you can check off smaller action steps on your way to completing a larger goal.
I hope you feel inspired to put pen to paper and write down some concrete goals for 2017! If you do, and you post them on your blog, make sure to come back and comment below so I can cheer you on! And if you are just starting your photography business, click here to download a FREE list of 50 Goals for Your First Year in Business that is sure to give you some ideas to get you started on the right foot!
Let that sink in for a moment. Are you one of the four percent? If not, I challenge you to take this important step.
Putting pen to paper makes your goals concrete, allows them to enter your subconscious, and provides a bit of accountability. If those benefits aren't enough to motivate you, this next factoid may send you over the edge: People who write down their goals make 9 times more money over the course of their lifetimes than those who don't. WOAH! My guess is that's because people who write down their goals actually accomplish 9 times as much over the course of their lives than those who don't. The money is just a side effect of that productivity.
In the past month I've spent some time reflecting on where I'm at with my life and my business and thinking about what I hope this coming year will bring. I came up with some specific goals for this year and wanted to share them with you! Here is some of what I came up with:
Personal Goals
- Continue to prioritize time with God and exercise before other endeavors. Exercise at least 5 times per week.
- Continue on the journey I began in 2016 to transform my lifestyle to maximize nutrition and minimize exposure to toxins. Share my journey and what I'm learning with others personally, and through social media and my blog.
- Raise $10K for autism with the help of our Zoowalk team walking in October.
- Increase emergency fund savings by $20K.
- Get a new roof for my house along with needed external repairs.
- Continue to mentor and pour into at least 2 college-age girls.
Business Goals
- Shoot 15 weddings & book 40 associate weddings.
- Launch a new initiative for Align.
- Grow Align to serve more photographers and design 1,250 albums in 2017.
- Blog helpful content for photographers once per week.
- Launch a new product to help photographers attract and book more clients.
- Grow Rendezbooth and do at least 36 events in our first full year in business.
- Update and redecorate the office to be consistent with our branding.
- Read at least 5 business books.
There's something about a new year that makes it exciting to dream, set goals, and look ahead. If you haven't done so already, I challenge you to spend some time dreaming and writing down your goals.
Here are a few tips that are helpful when goal-setting:
1 - Make your goals concrete. Make them definable and able to be checked off.
2 - Don't be afraid to dream. Failure in this case isn't not finishing your list, it's not being willing to dream and write one in the first place.
3 - I'm a person of faith. If you know you're in the center of God's hand, write down your goals, but also surrender them wholeheartedly, knowing God may have a different (and much better) plan for your year.
4 - Be brave enough to write your goals down. Then be brave enough to share them with others. If you have a blog -- post them and share your journey.
5 - For some of your BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), start by breaking them down into action steps. This will make them less intimidating and help you to develop a practical strategy for tackling them that is achievable. It also helps you feel like you're making progress when you can check off smaller action steps on your way to completing a larger goal.
I hope you feel inspired to put pen to paper and write down some concrete goals for 2017! If you do, and you post them on your blog, make sure to come back and comment below so I can cheer you on! And if you are just starting your photography business, click here to download a FREE list of 50 Goals for Your First Year in Business that is sure to give you some ideas to get you started on the right foot!
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