Goal setting, whether personal or in your business, is one of the most important things you can do for your future. You have to know where you are going, and have a plan to get there. Goals give you a long-term vision and short-term motivation. By setting goals, you know where to allocate your time and resources. The achievement of goals is also proven to motivate people to reach further and higher. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Ephesians 3:20

Now to Him who is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us.

-Ephesians 3:20

In order to be good stewards of the gifts and purposes God has placed in us, we have to set goals. Have you ever heard of the SMART acronym for goal setting? It stands for:

S – Specific

You don’t want to just set a goal to improve your business because you have no actionable steps to take from that goal. Instead, say that you want to improve sales in your business by $10,000 this year. That is getting a little more specific. Now, you should narrow down how you plan to do that. It could be in product sales, ticket sales, customer acquisition etc. From this, you can build a plan. Maybe you need to develop more product to sell, or maybe you need a better marketing strategy to push sales. Whatever it is, you have a clear view of what to do next.

M – Measurable

If you can’t measure your goal, how are you going to know that you’ve achieved it? If you want to be more fit, set a measurable goal to lose 20 pounds, or run a 5k. When you hit those marks, you can see that you have achieved your goal, and you are satisfied with yourself. You are more likely to keep achieving goals once you cross some off of your list. Measurable achievements are motivating.

A – Achievable

If you have never run a mile in your life, and you set a goal to run a half-marathon by the end of this year, you are likely going to fail. It is so good to have big dreams, and I believe God will fulfill those for you, but you have to be realistic. If you really want to run a half-marathon, know that it takes most people 10 weeks to train for one. Give yourself the time that you need, and it can be achievable! Don’t set yourself up to fail.

R – Relevant

We only have so much time in a day. If your main goal is to grow your business, then you should focus on that more than other things. However, if you spend more time training for a half-marathon than researching new revenue streams, marketing techniques, and working on your business, guess what’s going to work for you and what isn’t. Make sure your goals are relevant to what you actually want out of life.

T – Time Bound

Give yourself deadlines. Lots of people work well under pressure, and having a deadline pushed you to actually accomplish a goal. Someday is not a good option. Rarely do things we say “someday” for actually happen. Purchase tickets to a race in an achievable time frame. Set specific quarterly goals for your business. It is even a good idea to set weekly and daily goals as well. Either way, hold yourself accountable by a deadline.

Did this help you think about your goals more clearly? For some extra guidance, enter your email below and I will send you a SMART goals worksheet!

We need men and women of God to find their sphere of influence, to take action for the kingdom, and to make a difference! I believe every person has money in the world with his or her name already on it. Now, it’s time to claim that money, and build your business for the kingdom!

Does that sound great to you? Soon we are going to start selling early bird tickets to our annual WealthBuilders Conference! Keep an eye out, we hope to see you there!