I’m the kind of person that always sets goals. I set short term goals as well as long term goals for myself. Goals give you something to work towards. They help reminding you why you’re doing what you’re doing when things aren’t going so well. They help you keep your momentum high when you achieve them.

Defining goals

A goal should be something really specific and measurable. The type of goals I set are always a number. Make X revenue on this product. Get X clients on that product. Make X total revenue a year on all combined income. Very specific and measurable goals. A more personal goal I set for myself is to speak at X WordCamps. This one has nothing to do with revenue or business but is something I would like to achieve personally. Still this personal goal is very specific and measurable.

Shifting goals

A few months ago I realized that I kept shifting my goals. I was working really hard and still felt like I was failing. I felt this way because I didn’t reach my goals. At least that’s what I thought. Taking a step back I realized that I long passed the initial goals. I subconsciously shifted my goals whenever I got close to reaching them. So let’s say I wanted to make $1000 a month on product X. When I would reach $800 a month I would subconsciously set the goal to $2000. The next month I would make $1600, which would be well over my initial goal but would still feel like a failure.

Forcing celebrations

Truth is, it’s ok to set new goals whenever you reach your current ones. It keeps you going. But it’s also important to stop for a second whenever you reach one of your goals and celebrate them. By doing so you’ll remind yourself of all the hard work you’ve put into something and while you might not be there yet you’re closer than before. You’ve just reached something that only was a goal before. You just made something you wanted to have or do into something you own or did. It’s a moment to be proud of yourself.