you did it! you made it to my final post of my series on goals. so far, i reflected on this past year, shared how to set attainable goals and we’re wrapping up 2020 with how to create a plan moving forward.

so how do you meet all your goals? keep reading to find out.

1. create helpful habits

no doubt you’ve set some goals for the upcoming year––great! a goal is a brand new place you want to be, and likely it’s something you’ve never achieved before.

in order to get there, it’s important to recognize that you’ll need to make changes. obviously, you haven’t attained your goal yet doing what you are doing now, so that means it’s time to mix things up!

if you don’t have day-to-day habits that support the goals you have set, you’re going to have a hard time reaching them. likely, you’ll just stay where you are if you don’t tweak your habits.

changing your habits doesn’t have to be difficult. start with something simple that can be done every day that slowly works you closer to your goal.

it could be a daily outreach to a potential client or practicing editing skills for a set amount of time per day. the secret on how to meet your goals lies in your habits!

2. establish 5 steps

another secret to meeting your goals is the number five. it only takes 5 steps from start to finish to attain your goals and here’s why!

oftentimes, we set too few steps that require a ton of effort or monolithic tasks that just can’t be done. when we fail to reach our goal, we become discouraged and don’t power on.

other times we envision an overwhelming road to reaching our goal and avoid starting the process all together.

when you break down your goals and define 5 steps, it feels more doable and more realistic. aka, you end up rocking your goals.

what 5 steps do you need to take to reach your goal?

3. set goals based off of values, not your “shoulds”

make sure your goals are ones you truly want to work towards! things you are passionate about and inspire you to wake up every day and take action!! not just goals you think you “should” be working towards because others are or because you’re “supposed” to be somewhere by now. confirm that the goals you’ve set are ones you will really work towards!

starting the goal planning process requires that you have your vision and values clearly defined as a business. but oftentimes, we feel pressured into what we “should” be doing as a photographer because of what others are doing. that good ‘ole comparison trap gets us every time.

if you set a goal based off of what you “should” do, you could end up in a destination you never wanted to be in the first place!

you may not be able to see that an opportunity that comes your way may look appealing and like something you should do, but it could derail you and direct you away from where you want to be.

like if you’re comparing yourself to travel photographers but you’re much more of a homebody, then setting goals that require you to travel will actually end up being damaging in the longrun!

having a big picture goal is suuuuper key to help keep you on track and to align your goals with the life you want to create for yourself!

4. start planning NOW

plan the time NOW. spending some time now while you are motivated is the perfect time to create a plan for hitting your goals!!

write in your fresh new planner a time every week to check in on those goals. don’t set them and then forget about them! make revisiting your goals a part of your plan! seeing them will put them on the forefront of your mind and make them more achieveable.

you could create a document with some questions you want to ask yourself every week, every month, every quarter etc. to check in on these goals (and yourself!) with all those goals right on top! then make a reminder in your phone to check in and see where you are and where you can move forward!

set yourself up for success now so for the rest of the year you don’t have to rely on motivation to keep you moving! i don’t love relying on motivation, i believe we’re not motivated as humans constantly, i think we must rely on our own persistence to keep moving forward, even when it’s hard and we arent motivated at all!

do you feel ready to plan some goals now? great!

if you want some 1:1 help with reflecting over your past goals and working on the new ones, learn about mentor sessions with me here! i would love to get you started on the right path from the get-go this new year!