So, as I was thinking through goal-setting for the New Year, I revisited one of my favorite podcasts about setting goals by Michael Hyatt: Goal-Setting for Beginners. And I found an accompanying podcast by Jeff Goins, The Secret to Setting Goals to Ensure They Get Done, that helped me round out one of the things that may be holding me back… letting go of past mistakes.

Sometimes I let past failures overshadow my accomplishments. I let the fear of making mistakes again hold me back from setting audacious goals. I feel tempted to play it safe. But, “A goal that you can’t take a step towards, because you’re afraid of taking risk, isn’t a goal at all.” [MP]

Fear and I… we go WAY back. Every time I think I have mastery over my fears, well, they crop up again. But I truly believe that no matter how successful a person is, they have fears. But what separates the person who achieves from the one who does not, it the fact that the successful person does not let fear hold them back.

How to Set Audacious Goals by Letting Go of Past Mistakes

In the interview with Jeff, here is what Michael says about getting past the past, “So many people sabotage their goals because they drag into it the experience of failure they’ve had in the past.

Maybe there was something they tried and they didn’t accomplish and they become cynical and their heart is little cold towards it, and they need a means for processing that past so they can get complete on it; so they’re free and at liberty to really consider what the future can be.“

Don’t Sabotage Your Future Goals Based on Your Past

Here’s a simple step I want you to take and join me as I process through and let go of past mistakes so I can move forward.

Make 3 Columns on a Sheet of Paper – then divide the page into two sections – one for past accomplishments and one for past failures.

Column 1 is for the accomplishment or failure, column 2 is for an analysis on what you learned, and column 3 is for what can you do better. [You may need a piece of paper that is 11″ x 17″, or you can rearrange this as all rows so everything fits on the paper.]

Past Accomplishments
Column 1                            Column 2                       Column 3
Accomplishment 1            What did I learn?        What can I do better?

Past Failures
Column 1                             Column 2                      Column 3
Failure 1                              What did I learn?        What can I do better?

Write it all down. Really focus on what you’ve learned. If we don’t study history, it’s likely to repeat itself. So look at past mistakes, what led up to them, and figure out the boundaries you need to put into place so you can prevent those same mistakes from happening again.

Also, look at your accomplishments. Who did you connect with this year? How did you grow? Was there something you wanted to achieve in your business that you accomplished this year? Celebrate it! And write down what worked so you can repeat that same success this year!

Leverage What You’ve Learned

When I worked in corpoarate, I remember telling my director that he could either pay me in cash or pay me in experience, because I fully expected that experience was something I could cash-in on later. I’ve been alive more than 40 years and I can honestly say that cashing in on experience IS something I’ve been able to do throughout me life. So I’m going to leverage what I’ve learned from my past accomplishments and past failures by looking at it from a “I’ve built more experience as an entrepreneur” perspective, and I want you to do the same.

Don’t look at failure as loss. Look at is as experience you can put in the bank. And when the time is right, LEVERAGE it. Use it to avoid costly mistakes in the future. Inform yourself for better decision-making, or flaunt your “know-how” when a peer or potential client asks you a question. You worked hard to earn those stripes. Don’t be afraid to wear them proudly.  

I Want You to Be Massively Successful in 2019

I’m getting Michael’s Book “5 Days to Your Best Year Ever” and the CD Audio as well. Something tells me he has snippets of wisdom that I’m not going to pick up from free podcasts.

If you pick up the materials, let me know. You can email me, or join the private Facebook group where I hang out with some amazing, like-minded influencers who love to “pay it forward”.

What are your goals for the New Year? Any lessons learned from last year that you’re going to leverage? Message me. I’d love to hear from you.

Monica

Monica Pruett, MBA

Other articles of interest on MonicaPruett.com:

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• • Online Business Essentials
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