When it comes to setting goals there are a couple of things that make a difference.
First, you have to actually have a plan to achieve your goal. That is to say, creating a goal of earning $100,000 whilst continuing to spend your days on the couch binging on Netflix, isn’t going to work.
The other essential element is a deadline. You’ve got to have a deadline.
Let me repeat that so there’s no confusion. You’ve got to have a deadline!
During one of my session at the Midwest Voice Over Conference, the topic turned to websites. Of course we’d all love to have a perfect, beautiful, professionally designed website. However, when you’re starting out, that’s not always realistic. In today’s internet age, that’s ok. You can build a nice, clean site for little to nothing using any number of different services. I use WordPress and Bluehost.
One of the attendees in my session talked about how she’s been talking about a website for a while now. She hasn’t done any marketing because she doesn’t have site.
So I laid down a challenge for her.
“Set a goal for yourself right now. In ___ days, I’m going to have a website up and running,” I suggested. To take it one step further, I told her I’d hold her accountable to it. When it was completed, I wanted to see it.
“By the end of next week,” she decided. This would be her deadline.
How many times have I said, the most important thing is getting started! Well, now she had a goal, a deadline, and the kick in the pants she needed to get started.
Why You Need To Set A Deadline
Monday evening I was out for a run. At the 2km mark, my Apple Watch dinged. I checked it, thinking it was a notification for my run. Instead, it was an email from a very excited conference attendee. Her website was online, and she couldn’t wait to show me that she had completed it.
As soon as I got home, I jumped online to take a look.
She now has a basic, clean, one page site that has her demo and her contact information. The two most important things potential clients are looking for.
“It’s not nearly where I want to be, but just wanted to get something up as per my personal deadline.”
“That’s a great start… Remember, this isn’t your last website. It’s your first website! We’ve all got to get started somewhere and we build it up from that point as we go.”
“Yes, you’re right it is the first website and will be constantly evolving.”
A goal isn’t a goal until it has a deadline. Tweet This
Now she has something to use to start marketing herself. Not only that, but she has the confidence boost of both, completing her goal by her deadline and doing something two weeks ago she thought was impossible to do own her own!
Well done, Rashmi. You’re an inspiration for us all.
What do you need to get done?
Set a deadline. Get started!
