Set Goals You’ll Actually Achieve in 2017

Tis the season for goal-setting and resolution making, and being the proactive gal that you are, I’m guessing you’ve already started envisioning what 2017 could bring to your life and business.

Which is why I want to talk to you today about how to set goals that you’ll actually achieve in the new year.

According to Forbes, more than 40% of Americans make resolutions at the start of each year, but only 8% actually achieve their New Year’s goals. I want YOU to be a part of the elite 8%, and today we’re going to cover how to do exactly that.

The goal-setting system I’m going to be sharing with you is the one I personally used this year to help me cross 6-figures in sales while working just 3 days a week!

Ok, so here goes…

1. Create your vision. What do you want life and business to look like and feel like in 2017? As you develop this, aim to find that “sweet spot” between expanding (out of your current comfort zone) into who you desire to become without pushing yourself too hard. It’s a great idea to journal your way through this. Consider your business, personal life, family life, health, spirituality, social circle and any other important categories for you.
    
2. Find the feelings. Now, reread what you wrote. (Sometimes it’s helpful to let it sit for a day or two before moving into this step.) Is it resonating? Does it feel good to you? Does it excite you? Do you feel a sense of anticipation and eagerness? Or, does it feel overwhelming, uncomfortable or not quite right? If need be, rework your vision. If things are a “go”, then I want you to define the key feelings of your vision. Read what you wrote and notice what it evokes from within you. (Danielle LaPorte’s book, The Desire Map, could prove immensely helpful with this!)
    
3. Set clear (feel-good) goals. Now is the time to set a few, clear goals that are in alignment with both your vision and your feelings. Oftentimes when people fail to stick with their resolutions it’s because they start here, at step 3, with goal-setting. But, since you’ve already done the foundational work, you’re setting yourself up for goal-achieving success in 2017! The most important thing to keep in mind as you set your goals is that they should FEEL GOOD to you! This isn’t about pushing and putting a ton of pressure on yourself to achieve something you think that you “should” want. This is about getting really clear about the few, simple, eloquent goals that when achieved will deliver the feelings you’re desiring and move you closer to your vision. Depending on your personal preferences, these goals could be as concrete or nebulous as you like. Again, this is about setting goals that feel-good, because that’s the ONLY way you’re going to stick with them. Here are a few of my feel-good goals from 2016 to give you a sense of what I’m talking about here:
    
   • Create space in my life for the things that I desire. (time space, energy space, financial space, etc.)
   • Enroll 8 amazing, perfect-for-me ladies into my 1x1 coaching program by March 2016.
   • Deeply impact and inspire as many women as possible to dream bigger and live bigger.
      
4. Give yourself permission to revise. This is super important. Sometimes visions change. Sometimes goals need to shift. And that’s OK!!! Just because you said in January that you want to quit your 9-to-5 by April doesn’t mean you MUST if you realize that staying with your steady paycheck will allow you to expand in other ways. Trust yourself. Trust your intuition and if goals need adjusting or revising give yourself permission to make the necessary changes. This is YOUR LIFE for the creating!

This approach to goal-setting is very intuitive. It means you need to trust yourself and your ability to achieve your biggest desires without pushing, pressuring and stressing yourself out along the way. 

Remember, the journey has to align with the destination. If your vision for 2017 is enjoying an easeful, prosperous life and business, you cannot get there by putting a ton of pressure on yourself and feeling crappy every step of the way. It just won’t happen!

Are you ready to set goals that feel good? Goals that light you up and get you truly excited to get out of bed each day? Goals that make you feel aligned with your soul’s purpose, not like you’re crushing your soul to achieve them? Those are the kind of goals I want for you in the new year -- and I hope you want them for yourself too. It’s what you deserve :-)

After you move through this process, and set a small handful of feel-good goals, please share them with me and the other members of our beautiful community here.

P.S. Mindset Reset is coming! If you want to clear any lingering Mindset Blocks that might keep you from reaching your feel-good goals in 2017, click here to be the first to know when the Mindset Reset Challenge launches in early January :-)

4 Ways Having a Vision is Super Helpful

Having a vision for your life and business is essential. It's the lens through which you make all your decisions, set your priorities and ensure you're on track with the version of success that's right for YOU!

Last week, we discussed the importance of having a vision. Now, to take it a step further, I want to dive into how you can use your vision to its greatest advantage. (I'm a girl who likes strategy, remember!)

Your vision is your destination. It's where you and your amazing business are heading.

But before we dive into the strategy piece, I want you to first celebrate the fact that you're drawn to create a clear vision for yourself and your business in the first place! That's a HUGE step, and one that many entrepreneurs overlook. Too many would-be successful entrepreneurs just dive into the work and start chugging along without a clear destination in mind, and before they know it, they're going in circles. (Now, you know why! They needed a clear vision first, just like you're creating for your business.)

Once your vision crystalizes, there are 4 ways that you can strategically use your vision as you build your business:

(1) It's your destination. You have to know where you're going in order to get there! Now that you have your destination in mind, you can align your actions, set your priorities and start moving in the right direction.

(2) It's your motivation. You can see all the amazing things that are waiting for you if you continue to do your work. When you need a little pick-me-up reflect on your vision, and remember all the things you seek are now seeking you!

(3) It's a course corrector. Feeling foggy and need focus? Reflect on your vision, read through your journal or gaze at your vision board, and let it put you back on course.

(4) It's 1 of the vital success essentials. You need 3 things for success. Yes, just 3. You need a vision (your destination), the right mindset (your vehicle) and a clear + thoughtful plan (your roadmap). Your vision is the lynchpin for the three.

Now, I would love to hear more about your vision!

Visit our lovely Facebook group, and share what your "destination" looks like. Putting your vision "out there" makes it all the more real! Accountability is key :-)

Or, if you'd prefer to chat in-person (I'd LOVE that!), I invite you to book a complimentary Clarity Consultation. Then, we can talk more about your vision and how we can create a clear and thoughtful roadmap to get you there.

**My 5-month coaching program opens only 2x per year, and I'm currently accepting applications for a very limited number of spots. If you're ready to sharpen your vision, strategize a clear and thoughtful plan for your business and make the necessary mindset shifts to make it a success, NOW is the time. Read more about it here.**

With love,

4 reasons why you'll never regret pursuing your dreams

building a business around your passions is scary.  i know. when i first started out six years ago, i was convinced i was going to be a nationally-known interior designer; designing spaces in the most beautiful homes.  but, as it turns out, as much as i love designing spaces i have complete control over, working with clients that insist upon keeping their 1990s recliner wasn't my cup of tea.  

during that time, i realized that what i really enjoyed was building the business -- researching best practices, honing my marketing & message, learning to blog effectively, designing my website, and reading business books.  

pursuing my dream of being an interior designer opened the door to my true gift and passion -- offering business & life advice for designing a lifestyle of purpose, passion and meaning :-)

but, giving yourself permission to go after your dream isn't easy.  i get that.

it's terrifying to put yourself out there, throw caution to the wind, and commit yourself to building something from the ground up.

but, the truth is, the risks are completely outweighed by the regrets you'll have if you don't give it a go.  if you never give yourself a chance to experience the utter joy (and terror!) of unabashedly claiming your unique spot in the world, you'll likely one day look back and wish that you had.

i never want you to regret any decision -- business, personal or otherwise -- and that's precisely why i'm sharing 4 reasons why you'll never regret pursuing your dreams.

because, once you realize you that you'll never regret it, you'll free yourself from so much of the stress and worry that was previously holding you back.  and then, you can redirect that energy in a positive way to propel you forward toward your dreams even faster than before!

#1 it may just work out!

if someone could look into a crystal ball and tell you that 12, 18 or 24 months from now you will be doing what you love and making a living at it, would you still feel as uncertain as you do now?  of course not!

we all know that there's no such guarantee, but one thing is for sure, if you work at something consistently with passion, dedication and heart, it's likely to bring about something amazing.  so, instead of spending your time in worry-land, hope aboard the positivity train and keep chugging along.  and before you know it, that dream of yours will be a fully recognized reality.

#2 you'll learn so much

even if things don't pan out exactly as you planned, you'll learn so much in the process.  take me for example, i graduated college thinking i wanted to design homes -- and now 6 years later i'm helping people design their dream careers and lifestyles.  if i didn't give myself permission from the get-go to explore my passions, i wouldn't have found my true calling and be able to do the work i do today.

#3 life is short

sure, it's a bit cliche, but it's true.  every passing year goes by even more quickly, and there's no time like the present (to use another overused cliche) to start moving in the direction of your dreams.  one thing i know is that i don't want to look back and think "what if" or "if only" -- i'd rather try and fail then never try at all.

#4 dreams shift and change

your big, bold, bad-a$$ dream may seem totally unattainable right now, but keep in mind that as we grow and change, so do our dreams.  you're dream to be a rockstar yogi and open studios nationwide might fade as you realize the immense satisfaction of running one local studio where you intimately know your clientele.  give yourself permission to dream, but also give yourself permission to revise those dreams as you go!

share your BIG dream in the comments below!  

just sharing it & making a public declaration of what you want will make it that much more real :-)

6 steps to set (and stick to) your 2014 yoga business goals

tis the season for goal-setting and resolution making!

we're already a week into 2014, so i'm guessing that you're starting to give your yoga business goals for 2014 some thought.

if you're in a quandary wondering how to set the right goals for your yoga biz that you can actually stick to (and feel good about), i've got some advice for you!

these 6 steps that i'm sharing with you today have kept me organized, focused and SANE for all of 2013. using this system of calendar planning, you'll be able to tackle ANYTHING (and i mean anything) that you set your sights on in the new year.

if you're ready to ramp up your yoga career and really make some big strides (and i know you can!), try out these 6 steps for yourself. i guarantee they'll offer you clarity and also a great sense of accomplishment as you see yourself systematically moving through your list of yearly to-dos.

STEP 1 -- brain dump.

i'm not a huge fan of the term "brain dump", but it's a very worthwhile and effective exercise.  give yourself 30min to 1 hour to write down EVERY SINGLE IDEA you have for your yoga career.  no censoring.  no holding back.  anything that's swimming around in your gray matter, write it down!

STEP 2 -- cull your list.

first cross off anything that doesn't sound like fun (i.e. don't like the idea of hosting a destination yoga retreat?  don't do it!).  now, rank the remaining items -- #1 being the most fun/important and so on from there.

STEP 3 -- map out your calendar.

on a sheet of paper (or several sheets of paper), list out the months.  i personally like to make a chart with 12 boxes, but do whatever feels best for you.  now, plot where you'd like each goal to happen (i.e. april - meditation workshop, september - host weekend training in september, guest post on 1 yoga blog a month, etc.)

use a pencil for this because you'll likely want to change/shift things around to see what makes the most sense.

STEP 4 - cull it again.

now that you begin to see how your year's shaping up, cull through your list again.  remove anything that doesn't seem feasible or seems like it would stress you out too much.

STEP 5 - finalize your calendar.

so, you now have  your finalized list of 2014 yoga biz tasks...the next thing to do is finalize your calendar.  map out where you'd like each goal to land so that you have a reference that you can return to again and again to keep you on track.

STEP 6 - use it!

this may seem obvious, but the ONLY WAY to manifest your yoga biz goals is to use the tools you've put in place to help you.  check in with your yearly calendar regularly to ensure you're prepping properly to meet your goals.  for example, if you want to offer a weekend-long chair yoga teacher training in september, you'll want to start planning your curriculum in june, finalize it in july, market it in august, and enroll students in september!

remember: this calendar is an important reference point for your biz, BUT it's not set in stone.  if circumstances change or new (better!) opportunities arise, give yourself permission to revise and adjust your calendar accordingly.

this whole process (from start to finish) could take the better part of a day, but it's work that is well worth doing!  because, if you don't know where you're going in your yoga career -- how are you ever going to get there?!

P.S. there's an entire training video on this exact topic that goes even more in-depth in my new course Become a Yoga Brand.

if you're interested in more info about the course, or gaining access to the FREE Become a Yoga Brand Speaker Series, sign up here.