To Make a Difference,
Know the Difference

Ok, by now you have been AMP’d up with the first post in this series, “Strategies for Successful Resolutions.” You’ve figured out where you fall on the Reviewer – Planner – Doer spectrum, and you have started a list of your successes and misses of 2016. Let’s run through a quick review.

The Reviewer – Those who identify goals based on mistakes or failures from the last year. These goals lack a definitive action plan, and tend to be “put on the shelf” where they are revered, but eventually forgotten.

The Planner – Those who identify concrete goals with a “how.” The Planner’s goals have actionable steps and a positively motivated “why.” They have won 90% of the battle when it comes to goal-setting strategy, but there still may be unanswered grey areas when it comes to implementation and getting things done in the “big picture.”

The Doer – Those who embody The Reviewer by assessing successes and failures during the start of fourth quarter the previous year; The Planner by outlining concrete goals with a specific “why” and an actionable “how;” and, additionally, The Doer in their habit of analyzing all areas of their business (finances, marketing, pricing, professional development, portfolio, personal projects, etc.). These people identify expectations for the following year in multiple areas of their business and establish a detailed plan to actualize it.

So, how are we going to dive into this new experience? As we should with any new personal or business venture – with an end goal in mind. What is our end goal for this series? Begin our journey to embodying The Doer mentality and outline our action plan to succeed personally and professionally in this new year.

So, what happens now? We are going to get down, get real and get GOING.

These three components of executing The Doer strategy will form the basis of our AMP’d business mini-series to get your New Year’s goals accomplished by the end of the year (or sooner). Sound good? Awesome. Let’s dive in, and get down.

 

Get Down: To Make a Difference, Know the Difference.

Let me take a step back here. I whole-heartedly believe that life is a dance, a sway back-and-forth between the “small picture” and the “big picture.” You can’t be focused on one or the other 100% of the time because you will never truly make the big things happen. Working too much for the short-term goals will leave you missing out on achieving the greater overall potential of your business, while focusing too much on the long-term goals will likely result in frustration and limited accomplishments because you didn’t plan the small steps to get there. Knowing the difference between these two perspectives and how they apply to your business is half the battle to accomplishing your goals.

The great news – you probably already do this in some capacity of your daily life and business! Now it’s time to truly OWN this mentality. My aim is to teach you to be totally conscious of this balance and maximize your potential and profits for the coming year. This awareness is pivotal to your success and there will be many times where it literally will save you from your own self.

 

Why We Have To Dance

Why is this balance, this dance between “small picture” and “big picture,” so important? It’s important because realistic weekly goals (the small picture) yield huge yearly returns (the big picture). It also is the best way to combat self-doubt or the inevitable emotional deflation of comparing oneself to others. (I think it’s safe to say that as a creative we are constantly at odds with valuing and devaluing our talent, so if you only take away this one concept of “small vs. big picture” awareness and the positive effects it has on your success, wouldn’t it be invaluably worth it??) If you plan and strategize correctly, you can never have a big picture without the small picture or a small picture without the big picture. Probably the most obvious example of the Small-Big Picture Paradigm is financial goals. You have a number you want to reach by the end of the fiscal year (big picture), but how it actually becomes a reality is the small picture. Maybe this idea totally overwhelms you – it’s OK! It did early in my business too! Thankfully, when you take the time to think through your strategy you can be even more empowered, or curb your end-of-year disappointment by tweaking your goal until it’s realistically achievable.

When you’re at your breaking point – *Disclaimer* there will be times when you find looking at the big picture is just too overwhelming – and you can’t imagine how, in this moment, you will ever get there, because you don’t feel worthy, you start doubting you have what it takes…

 

STOP.

 

This is that critical moment. The moment that defines you.

 

The Crux Of Your Story

This is the moment when it’s not about the big picture at all. It’s not about looking to the end. Bring yourself back. This is about the small picture; make the shift. Recognize how far you have come since first setting your goals, celebrate your victories, remember what you are working for and then focus on simply taking the next right step. Identify the next right step that will bring you closer to your small goal. You can do this! If you still feel like you can’t look towards that smaller goal – break it down even SMALLER. (see where I’m going with this…) If you break your goal down smaller and smaller to whatever step you feel you can actually take, you will eventually take enough steps, gain enough momentum and build up enough confidence that you will be back on track to achieving your long-term goal again.

Remember, you are more than your emotional-mind is making you out to be. Put your foot down, pull on your big-girl pants and take control of your mindset. Channel your positivity! You have the choice to make it, or break it. Choose to make the shift to the intellectual-mind, break down your goals, cut out the emotion and GET REAL with yourself. It’s all about that dance between the small and big picture. Now let’s do this.

THE AMP’D RECAP 

[Download your strategy worksheet, HERE]

  • The first step to success is to “Get Down.” To make a difference, we have to know the difference.
  • The Small-Big Picture Paradigm: The integral relationship between long and short term goal setting, stating that long-term goals must be broken down into smaller, manageable short-term goals in order to be achieved successfully.
  • Remember, there will come a time when you find yourself at a point where looking at your big picture is just too overwhelming. This is why the smaller short-term goals are imperative.
  • Know when to make the shift from the big and small goals.
    • Big Goals: Best for monthly and yearly planning, encourage motivation and perspective.
    • Small Goals: Best for daily and weekly planning, battling discouragement and overwhelm.

TAKE FIVE

Let’s Try a Two-Step
[If you haven’t grabbed your worksheet yet, get it HERE!]

Step 1: Write down your five biggest accomplishments in the last 6-12 months. Writing them down makes them tangible and concrete. Reference this when you have to battle your “emotional self.”

Step 2: Think about your goal setting strategy last year. What was one of your greatest goals that you accomplished last year? How did you accomplish that end goal? Write it down.