How To Turn ‘Change’ Into Choice

Let’s face it, “change” is something that happens in our lives whether we like it or not.  We grow older.  Some of us have children, and they grow older. We change homes, lifestyles, jobs and more.

Some of us don’t handle change as well as others. You see others happy to be changing careers, relationships or moving to another home. You wonder why they’re so happy. What so exciting about change for some folks while you fear it?

Unfortunately, fear can be a paralyzing emotion and (more…)

Changing Your Mindset: Small Steps … Create Big Changes

To some people, the term “positive thinking” may sound like a lot of hooey, but other people firmly believe in it and put it into practice.

Staying in a positive mindset, even in the face of adversity, can help you overcome personal and business challenges.  And by cultivating the habit of thinking positively, you will attract positive people and positive outcomes in your life.

When you find yourself facing a roadblock, try to find a way around it.  It so easy to give up.  But giving up will not bring you any closer to accomplishing your goals.  In fact, giving up can make you feel even worse and cause more stress.  So find a way to forge ahead to reach your goal or finish the task you set out to accomplish.  You will feel more confident and able to take on new, more difficult challenges should they arise.

It is not realistic to expect anyone to change completely overnight but taking small steps to re-calibrate your mindset to “positive thinking” will create big changes.

This is often suggested. . . creating a “dream board” or a “dream book”.  Write out all the things you would like to accomplish.  Look through magazines and find pictures that correspond with those goals.  When you find a picture you like, cut it out and pin it to a bulletin board or paste it into a scrapbook.

Don’t be afraid to reach for the stars with this project.  If you see a picture of a house you would love to live in, put it on your dream board.  Find a picture of a car you’ve always wanted or a picture of a place you would love to travel to.  You get the picture . . .

Simply take a moment each day to look at your dream board or flip through your dream book.  This can inspire you and motivate you to work hard and achieve success.  Your dream book is giving you a glimpse of your rewards.  Now, it is up to you to take action.

Goals: Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

Business goals are wonderful.  They can keep us motivated and help us measure our success.  Goals help us get through the tough times and remember what we’re working for. 

It is important to set goals high enough that we feel a sense of accomplishment when we attain them.  But it is equally important to set goals that we actually have a reasonable chance of achieving.

What Happens When We Set Goals Too High?

When we set goals, they usually represent milestones that are important to us.  You might set a goal of selling 1,000 copies of your new ebook in a month, for example.  If you achieve that, it will certainly be something to celebrate.   But if you don’t, it could leave you disappointed and lower your morale.

When deciding on goals, it is crucial to consider whether or not they have a reasonable chance of being met.  We need to push ourselves and give ourselves incentives to work harder and achieve more.  Yet if a goal has an extremely slim chance of being attained, it can do more harm than good.

How Do I Determine Whether or Not My Goals Are Too High?

Before you set a goal, it is important to examine its feasibility.  If you have been in business for a while, you may be able to look back on similar projects and see how well they turned out.  If you’re just starting out, it can be a little more difficult.

The Internet provides a way to check the feasibility of some goals.  Many small business owners blog about their experiences, and with a little searching you might find the details of how goals that relate to yours turned out.  It is important to remember, however, that circumstances differ. 

What worked for others may not work for you, and vice versa.  If your goals are sales-related, some analysis of contributing factors might help in setting them.  Going back to the ebook example, finding information about conversion ratios can be helpful.  With these numbers, you can use your site traffic to estimate how many sales you can expect.  If the figure you come up with is substantially less than the goal you are considering, you may want to go back to the drawing board or find ways to boost your traffic. 

If you do find that you have set a goal too high, don’t let it discourage you.  Consider it a learning experience.  Next time it might be wise to give yourself more time or lower your standards a bit.  There may also be something that could have been done differently for better results.

Challenging yet realistic goals can make a huge difference in your business.  Each time we achieve a new goal, we build momentum.  By considering the likelihood of attaining our goals when setting them, we set ourselves up for success.