You might be thinking of new goals for yourself this year. Some may be lofty financial and business goals, others may be to improve your health and well-being.
As Smart Property Managers (SPMs) set new goals, they not only adjust their schedules, but also their mindsets. They know with new goals comes a new approach to milestones.
Einstein reminds us, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” The same goes for our approach to new goals.
As you begin pursuing your goals, one of the first things you should expect is resistance. Obstacles will appear. And they’re completely normal.
Wait. What? Let me explain.
Let’s say you’ve set a goal to become healthier. Once you start a new exercise routine and diet, your friends may actually feel threatened. They were accustomed to you being a couch potato and going out for pizza and beer every Friday night. Your new routine threatens how things were.
They may even complain about you not being available for them or tempt you with comfort food to “bring you back” to their comfort zone. And you might be tempted to appease them by indulging. But even though it may make you feel warm and fuzzy for the moment, it’ll leave you with a bucket of regret the next day.
When you decide to make changes, your friends, family, and colleagues naturally worry about how these changes are going to affect them. While you can still appreciate their friendship, you need to remain committed to your path. And it’s easier to do when you already know what to expect.
Financial and business goals come with obstacles as well…but you knew that! However, many are concerns about our own worthiness. I work with a consultant to aspiring writers, coaches and trainers who seek their first breakthrough. She says their fear of “who am I to be writing this book?” stalls their progress. The book won’t get done until their sense of worthiness is restored. Until you imbue your higher value into your conscience, you will not fulfill your higher goals.
My mentor, Jack Canfield, explains how to expect obstacles this way, “It’s important to understand that as soon as you set a goal, three things are going to emerge that stop most people….If you know that these three things are part of the process, then you can treat them as what they are––just things to handle––rather than let them stop you. These three things are: considerations, fears, and roadblocks.”
Considerations come into play when you wonder how you’re going to accomplish your goals. A friend of mine set a goal of earning $150,000 in the first quarter of this year and is struggling to put the “how” aside. The how shows up when we quit fretting and get into action. Having a set of actions to take each day assists you in making progress toward your goals.
Fears. Probably one of the biggest fears is the fear of failure. However, it’s important to remember that failure is a necessary part of progress. The trick is to realize that sometimes we have to take a step back to leap forward.
A friend of mine recently took up indoor rock climbing and is overcoming a fear of heights. On one of her first climbs, she got halfway up a 30-foot wall and had to come down because the “rocks” were beyond her reach. Rather than quit, she re-assessed the route, and then made an adjustment to the line she was climbing. She made it to the top of the wall, and now has her sights set on a 60-foot wall.
Roadblocks. These are the external factors that temporarily halt our forward movement. Anyone who has ever built out a tenant space knows that there will be change orders. This doesn’t mean we stop building. SPMs identify the problems, quantify them, get everyone on board, and move on.
For a successful new year, SPMs set themselves up for success first.
- They determine who they want to become in the attainment of their goals.
- They determine what they need to be, do, and learn to become that person.
- They honor their goals by making them a priority.
- They schedule time each day to review and take action on their goals.
- They team up with an accountability partner to keep them true to their commitments.
- And they expect—and deal with—the obstacles that come their way as each one reminds them of their why, equips them with their how, and makes them stronger as they get closer to their attainment.
True growth as an individual can’t happen within your comfort zone. So even the uncomfortableness of growth itself can feel like an obstacle. But equipping yourself with this new level of thinking—this new mindset—will ensure that you will overcome any obstacle and reach your most treasured goals far more quickly than expected.
