Key Elements for Effectively Setting and Reaching Your Goals

It’s no question that the event industry has taken a massive hit due to COVD-19. Events are still in limbo, and plans for re-opening seem to be incessantly changing. 

One of the questions circulating around in my coaching program is how to stay motivated as an event professional during these uncertain times. What should we really be doing? What should our energy be put toward? What can we control in a time where nothing else feels within our control?

The easy answer to this question would be this: Just do all the things you’ve been pushing off because you haven’t had the time to do it before.

But that’s not so easy.

For example, I have an event professional friend who thought she would use this downtime to re-do her website, a task looming over her for some time now. In the past, whenever she thought about doing it, she was either too tired or too busy because she was working on actual client events. But now that she has the time, you think she’d be all over it, right?

Wrong. She simply can’t muster any energy or desire to bring herself to re-do the site.

She’s not alone in this. I’ve heard this same sentence echoed from other professionals in our industry. 

The fix to getting out of this limbo? Setting goals.

Let’s first talk about why setting goals is effective in growing your business. Then I’ll share easy ways to implement realistic goals, and finally, how to achieve those goals.

Why Setting Goals is Effective

1. Setting a goal increases your motivation and organizational commitment. Just by having a goal, you are already going to become more committed mentally. It may not feel like this the first week, but soon you will gain momentum. The organizational commitment you will soon create is also habit-forming.

2. It encourages you to search for new strategies to help you become successful. When you’re setting a goal, you’re looking for new approaches to get yourself out of a rut or break out of your comfort zone. These strategies will help you grow and expand, both personally and professionally.

3. It instills confidence. Setting goals and making progress on them enables you to begin to believe in and trust your own ability. 

How to Implement Realistic Goals

1. Know your “why.” When it comes to implementing specific goals for your business, you need to know your “why” for doing it. If you don’t have a reason for a goal, you aren’t going to be committed. If you don’t have the why—don’t make it a goal.

2. Seek clarity. Ask yourself, “What is it that you really want to achieve?” The idea of re-doing your website doesn’t necessarily give you a goal, but rather the outcome is what makes it a goal. What do you want to achieve with the new website? What do you want customers to take away from it when they come to it? This clarity will drive everything you do when creating a new website. 

3. Make ones that are challenging yet obtainable. Otherwise, you will lose motivation and hurt your own confidence in the process.

4. Create an action plan. These are the daily actions you are going to take to get the results you want. Break your goal down into actionable tasks and habits that will add up to the progress over time. For me, that’s putting pen to paper and creating a day by day plan.

5. Set positive goals vs. negative goals. Language matters. Instead of saying, “I don’t want my website to look like crap,” try, “I want my website to reflect my style and increase by SEO by 10%.”

6. Optimize your environment to make working on your goals easier. Do you have an office? Do you need to put some music in the background? Do you feel inspired by coffee shops? Can you join a creative group that holds one another accountable? When you put yourself in an environment conducive to what you need, you are more prone to success.

How To Achieve Your Goals

1. Start SMART. You’re probably familiar with the acronym SMART for goal setting. Goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. When you have your goal in mind, test it with the SMART acronym, and make sure it holds up. If it doesn’t readjust your goals.

2. Re-evaluate and assess your progress. If you’re trying to work on your website, or increase your finances, or hone in on your perfect client, you need to implement a way to assess your current progress. Let’s go back to the website example. Start by looking at the backend (assessing the SEO, following your Google Analytics). Put a concrete process in place to see what is working for you and what isn’t. 

3. Build accountability by tracking your time. Aim for being “1% better every day.” Commit to x amount of hours a day or week to your goal setting.

4. Create smaller milestones, and more often. When your big goal is broken down into the actionable steps we’ve discussed, it makes the entire goal less intimidating, and you are less likely to give up on it. When you have small milestones to hit, it gives you more reasons to celebrate once you’ve hit them.

5. Use visual cues to see your progress. Whether it’s stickers on a wall or in a planner or even dollars in a jar for your next massage, visible progress keeps you motivated.

6. Seek support and accountability. Tell others about your goal, or join a group to keep you motivated. When it’s out there in the world, you’re held accountable to it. 

How about you? What are your goals for this month? Remember, setting goals is an effective way to get out a rut and move forward during these uncertain times.

I’m here to help and support you with your goal. Sometimes it’s hard to know what your goal even looks like. I’ve added a few open spots for a conversation, and I can help you get closer to your goals if you are filling stuck.