This week is all about plans for growth
Similar to last week, where you examined different ways on how you could scale and grow your business. This week we are looking at putting plans in place for the future.
If you remember back in Week 3, we asked you to write down what your vision for the future would be in your personal & business life. We want you to revisit that list again and see what you have written down and what has come true from that list.
As we are nearing the end of the course, we want you to be prepared and have a plan in place for continuing your business on your own.
There is so much power in writing down your goals and having them somewhere you can see and constantly refer back to. It gives you a clear pathway to your goals because you have been specific about the outcomes that you want.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WRITING DOWN YOUR GOALS
Get clear on what you want
Writing down your goals helps you get clear on what you want to achieve in life. It takes your goals out of your mind and makes them visible and real.
Stay motivated
Writing down your goals, and making progress daily, helps you stay on track and feel motivated. To stay motivated, it’s essential to set exciting goals and then take action.
Narrows your focus
Writing down your goals narrows your focus and aligns your thoughts with your actions. We live in a world of opportunity meaning we have plenty of choices.
Without clear goals, you can become distracted and scattered. Improved goal setting helps you manage your time, energy and focus better.
Greater productivity
When writing down your goals it’s essential to have measurements and a deadline to achieve your goal. Measurements and deadlines increase focus and give you something specific to work towards.
It also helps you manage time and increases productivity. Without a deadline, there is nothing specific to shoot for, which causes you to waste time and energy.
Measure progress
When working towards your goals it’s important to measure and celebrate progress. When measuring progress ensure you measure progress backward from where you started.
Even if the progress feels small, any improvement is progress towards your goals. When you write down your goals and review progress daily or weekly, you will see how far you’ve come.
the law of attraction
As a small business owner, you want to use every tool available to you to stack the deck in your favour and give your business the highest chance of success. And sometimes, that means stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying something that might seem a little out there.
The law of attraction is one of the most well-known, embraced and celebrated concepts in the self-help world. People all over the world are using the law of attraction to manifest the things they most desire in their life—and that includes success in business.
There are a number of different law of attraction exercises you can use to attract success in your business, including:
GRATITUDE LISTS
Appreciating the success you already have can put you in the mindset to attract and receive more. Every day, take a few minutes to jot down all the things you’re grateful for in your business. Let yourself fully feel the gratitude for each thing as you write it down.
VISUALIZATION
Visualisation is the practice of picturing what it will be like to get what you want (including all the feelings, emotions and experiences that go with it)—and it’s the one area of the law of attraction that has a clear basis in science.
When you visualize yourself hitting a goal, your brain actually interprets that visualization as a reality—and, as a result, creates new neural pathways to support that reality.
VISION BOARDS
Visual cues can be a great way to reinforce your law of attraction practice. And a great way to give yourself regular visual cues that align with your goals and desired? Vision boards.
Vision boards are a collection of imagery (including words, graphics and photos) that represent what you’re trying to attract into your life. The benefit of creating a vision board is two-fold; not only does the finished product act as a visual reminder of what you’re trying to attract in your life, but the simple act of making it can actually reinforce your commitment to your desired outcome—and put you in the right mindset to make it a reality.
AFFIRMATIONS
Affirmations can be extremely powerful. By making statements that affirm you’ve already received what you’re trying to attract, you can align yourself with your goals—and increase the likelihood of transforming your goals into a reality.
For example, let’s say you want to attract new, higher-paying clients. You might use the affirmation, “I work with reputable clients who value what I do and are happy to pay me what I’m worth.” By repeating this to yourself every day, you’re affirming to yourself that you only do business with clients who truly value what you do—which will make it easier to go out there and find those clients.
Source: https://www.freshbooks.com/blog/the-law-of-attraction-how-you-can-avoid-its-dark-side
As we are coming to the end of the course, it is always a great time to reflect upon what goals you had set 9 months ago and review to see what progress you have made.
We also want you to write out goals for the next 3, 6, 9, 12 months for your personal and business life.
week 34 book
Our book inspiration this week is The Practice: Shiping Creative Work by Seth Godin.
Godin insists that writer's block is a myth, that consistency is far more important than authenticity, and that experiencing the imposter syndrome is a sign that you're a well-adjusted human. Most of all, he shows you what it takes to turn your passion from a private distraction to a productive contribution, the one you've been seeking to share all along.
Our Podcast recommendation this week is ‘Creating Your Own Path Podcast by Jennifer Newman.
Creating Your Own Path is a weekly interview series featuring inspiring individuals and change-makers from various creative industries.