May 2, 2013

Hate selling? Think it stinks? Find out what’s really going on [part 1]

By JaneFrankland | Mindset, Sales, Selling | No Comments

Love or hate selling?

Here's the truth. There are TOO many people who think they don't like sales or even hate selling. They think it's icky and sleazy, and regularly come out with statements like “I don't like asking for the money.”

Sound familiar?

Now until recently I used to think that if I can just teach these people that sales is a caring profession – it's about helping people (by solving problems or matching needs to wants), and then show them how to sell, all will be fine.

How wrong was I?

You see so many people don't actually have a problem with sales or selling. So many people don't actually hate selling. The problem they have is actually their relationship with money. And it gets worse. It's usually deep rooted.

Now here's a strange thing. You can do very well in sales and still have this problem! However, here's the sting…If you don't address this, no matter how much money you make or how many times money comes into your life, you'll LOSE it.

I speak from experience…

Here's my story [I'll keep it brief]

Once upon a time I was a designer. I loved my work with a passion. I'd been nominated as a Young British Designer, had an agent and was selling my work globally to Hong Kong, Tokyo, LA, New York, Paris and London.

Sounds a bit glam doesn't it?

Sadly it wasn't. I was eating my son's left over scraps, unable to pay the utility bills and I was making next to nothing.

Bummer!

So I struck a deal with the universe when someone advised me to go and get a ‘proper' job!

I said, “I'll give up my passion if in return you reward me with lots of money.” And, that's exactly what happened. I retrained, got head-hunted for a corporate job with great prospects, and then left it to to build a 7-figure business (with the man whom I thought was my soul mate).

The universe was serving me well.

Or was it?

Cue the roller coaster of life! It was early 2002 and the dot com bubble burst was in full flow. My business partner and I were caught out. We'd had the business for 5 years and were faced with a choice – to liquidate or to recover. We chose the latter and then worked like there was no tomorrow. We remodelled the company almost overnight and 2 years later it was more profitable than it had ever been. We'd had a close shave but this was not the worst that was to come (for me).

Several years later my partner called time on our relationship and then decided he wanted the company all for himself. [Muhaha!] I was forced out of my own company in ways that I won't disclose. All I'll say is it was unpleasant!

And this is where the moral of the story kicks in.

Surprisingly it's not on choosing your business partner! That's definitely a subject for another post! 😉

The moral of the story is always to do what you love. Don't chase the dollar. Find a way to make it work. Then you will do great work.

So now for some key points on getting over the mantra of so many entrepreneurs and start-ups: “I hate selling” [but I like making sales!]

By the way I'm only going to concentrate here on your relationship to money (not self worth or rejection issues, which might also be going on.)

The first point I want to make is that when it comes to money you are the economist of you, so you need to decide what you want money for. Do you want it for ‘stuff' to own or for ‘stuff' to experience, or both? There's no right or wrong answer here. It's a personal choice. However, once you get clear on the purpose for your money you have a rudder to guide your purchases, savings, investments and donations. And you get motivated!

A word of caution. You can only get clear on your purpose for money when you get clear on your desired life. And, your desired life is driven by the way you want to feel.

In my case I wanted to feel happy. I knew that being a designer would fulfil this. However, I knew that I couldn't make enough money to support my family as a designer. [I'd tried.] As a result, I chose to find a 6-figure job and build a 7-figure business. The purpose for my money became financial stability.

So if money enables so many of our wants to be manifested, get clear on the purpose, and…

[box]”Let the money follow the thinking but let the thinking follow the feeling” ~ Jane Frankland TWEET THIS[/box]

The second point I want to make is that “money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish but it will not replace you as the driver.” – Ayn Rand.

Video break

For me I'd let the money control me. When I'd struck that deal with the universe I'd sold my soul. I'd relinquished my passion. Money was not serving me. It was controlling me. Money was the one in the driving seat, not me. How did I truly know this? Well the result revealed itself recently.

I bet you're wondering how?

Well despite being a top sales person and being responsible for building a 7-figure business, I suffered (for the first time ever) an inability to do fee-paying work. I'd work for free, but if money were to cross my palms I'd literally run a mile. This meant I wasn't charging for work, sending invoices once work was done and not even quoting when asked. As a hard-core salesperson this still makes me twitch! I clearly had a dire relationship issue with money!

The good news is, help arrived to resolve this and I'll be sharing exactly how in part 2.

If you can't wait until then, check out T.Harv Eker. He first introduced me to the concept of winning the money game and how it relates to why people can hate selling.

Now I want to hear from you…

Do you love or hate selling? What selling techniques can you recommend if you hate selling? What part of my story resonates with you? Have you tackled it at all? If so please leave me a comment in the box below.

P.S. If you know anyone who could benefit from this insight, take a second and send them a link to this post. You’ll be helping me… and THEM!

With love and gratitude – as always,

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April 20, 2013

Guilty as charged for poor time management

By JaneFrankland | Lifestyle, Mindset | No Comments

Time to make time management sexy

I'm a sinner, I'm a saint, as Alanis Morisette sang AND I'm guilty as charged for poor time management and not valuing my time. Sound familiar? This week, however, the penny dropped. If I didn't change my wayward ways with time management and value my time – MORE – I wasn't going to get anywhere with my business.

That felt bad. That caused me pain and when something causes me enough pain, what do you do? You take action!

Something just clicked in my head.

So what did I do? Well I started to say no more often! And, whilst it was hard to do, it also felt great!

What help me? I heard a story….

Cue story…

The story involves Megan. She's a mum and bringing up 2 kids on her own. She's always been financially independent and successful in business. However, recently she decided to use her heart as her compass and follow her passion to be a coach. I'm sure this sounds familiar.

Perhaps not this bit though.

She did something that some people find either crazy or courageous… she quit her 6-figure job, that was making her ‘soul dead', without many savings.

Now Megan has a wealth of experience in business and people have been flocking to her for advice and training, which she's been giving away freely without a thought. She's even been meeting up with them in person. However, this has been at a cost to her business as she hasn't been able to reuse that time. Unfortunately too, the people she's been having meetings with were unqualified prospects and therefore mostly filled by free loaders, not prospective clients. It was more luck if they turned into clients.

Eventually she started to think about what she was doing. If she was charging herself out at $150/hour, whenever she gave up her time, it was costing her that. When she went through her days, she was horrified at how much money she'd lost!

So, it was this simple exercise that made it crystal clear for her (along with the bills that were mounting up!). As a result, she started to consider more fully what she was saying yes to, and she started to say no more often. She began asking for agendas before requested meetings and letting prospects know that some things were going to be chargeable exercises.

She found this sorted the wheat out from the chaff.

She also discovered that she'd subconsciously started to value herself more and as a consequence had attracted the sort of clients she wanted to work with.

Time is a statement of priority

Time is a statement of priority. Never forget that. We all have 24 hours in our day. We're all on a level playing field in this respect. It's how we chose to spend it that makes the difference.

Time is one of our most precious assets. We're all trading it. We can never get it back. So, what you say yes to undeniably means that you'll have to say no to something else. [Bummer!]

Whenever someone says I don't have time, what they really mean is “I don't value this as a priority.” And that's ok so long as you know. Incidentally there's more on dealing with a time management objection here.

Now, I want to hear from you…

Do you suffer from saying yes too often? Do you ever think you might be sabotaging your own business for the sake of others (subconsciously)? Have you ever performed an exercise like the one Megan did? Let me know your time management story in the comments below.

With love and gratitude – as always,

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April 9, 2013

What women in business can learn from Margaret Thatcher

By JaneFrankland | Mindset | 5 Comments

C'mon what did she teach us?

Loved, loathed but never ignored, Margaret Thatcher serves as a perfect example of a strong leader for so many women in business across the world. She was a formidable figure, from a humble background, who made a global impact, and it's sad news to hear of her passing today.

Known as the ‘Iron Lady' or ‘That Bloody Woman' to some, she showed that the will could prevail if it was strong enough. At heart, she was an extremely bright, lower middle class, girl from the Midlands. She believed in hard work, achievement, and that everything had to be paid for – in other words, “If you don't have the money, you don't get it!” True to her values, and practising what she preached (as all good leaders do) she became Britain's first female Prime Minister in 1979.

Her contribution to British business was profound. She created opportunity and injected life back into the economy. She restored the idea that free enterprise was socially acceptable, and built confidence and belief in the social worth of entrepreneurship. As a result, British entrepreneurs found a voice after years of retreat.

Her decisions were not always well-liked. She abolished state ownership and replaced it with privatisation. However, entrepreneurship became popular in a way it had not been before. She understood what was needed to make businesses thrive and to turn a country into one of entrepreneurs.

Just as it is now, it was an exciting era for entrepreneurship, and for women in business who felt inspired by her achievements. She set the bar. She demonstrated what was possible.

As a girl growing up in Thatcher's era, from a home with a strong, independent mother, and being educated at a private girls school, I was unaware of sexual discrimination. I was taught that anything was possible if you worked hard and set your mind to it. It's little wonder why I ended up as a women in business and an entrepreneur!

Whether you believe Margaret Thatcher failed or inspired women in business is not a debate for here. Some believe she not only failed to shatter the glass ceiling, she actually failed women completely by dismissing rather than tackling the barriers many of them faced. She became the exception to the rule.

Anything is possible for women in business

Whatever your opinion, I must confess something. It somewhat excites me to know that women now outnumber men in the workforce (for the first time in history), and are gaining increasing positions as leaders of industry. Together with more than 8 million (and growing) businesses owned by women, the recovery of the USA (and I hope the UK) economy will be, to a great degree, driven by women. Furthermore, if the Dalai Lama's predications manifest, the Western woman will save the world.

So this is a time to re-address the balance of power for women in business. Thanks to the advancements of technology, particularly the Internet, if women take action and use it, they will shine both as women in business and entrepreneurs. Then we can show the world what we're truly capable of!

13 quotes from Margaret Thatcher to inspire you

1. “Standing in the middle of the road is dangerous: you get knocked down by traffic from both sides.”

2. “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't.”

3. “What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose.”

4. “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”

5. “Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country.”

6. “I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near.”

7. “It is not the creation of wealth that is wrong, but the love of money for its own sake.”

8. “If you set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.”

9. “I've got a woman's ability to stick to a job and get on with it when everyone else walks off and leaves it.”

10. “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.”

11. “Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope.^“

12. “Pennies don’t fall from heaven — they have to be earned here on Earth.”

13. “Defeat? I do not recognize the meaning of the word.”

Now I want to hear from you…

Women in business, please tell me which female figurehead inspires you? And tell me how you've dealt with your journey into entrepreneurship as a woman? Leave your story in the comments below.

With love and gratitude – as always,

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April 3, 2013

How to tame self-doubt and gain confidence

By JaneFrankland | Mindset, Uncategorized | One Comment

Screw self-doubt. Give me self confidence!

Are you struggling with that little voice of doubt in your head? You know the one that says, “why would anyone buy from me, when so and so are more experienced?”

Of course you are!

Well let me tell you a secret…so am I! And, so are millions of other highly successful entrepreneurs and career professionals! We all routinely go through periods of self-doubt.

The good news is … it’s normal! Self-doubt is a normal part of our human existence.

The bad news is…it’s something that goes on and on. You’ll never stop doubting your own ability. Self-doubt won’t go away the more successful you become either. You may not spend as much time doubting yourself but it’ll still rear its ugly head every now and again.

I can hear you sigh ‘Urgh’ and I’m right there with you too!

But here’s the worst thing…

If it’s not dealt with it will consume you, stop you from moving forward and sabotage your business. Why? Well unfortunately, fears and self-doubt are often more potent when imagined than realized.

[box]”When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt.” ~ Honore de Balzac TWEET THIS[/box]

Every time you say, “why would someone buy from me when so and so are more experienced?” you’re giving yourself permission to fail before you’ve begun. You’re also subconsciously blaming others or using an external reason for why something won’t work. As a result you’re giving it your power.

Video Break (skip if it's not your thing..)

Kerpow! Time to think like a superhero!

Let me ask you, did Batman, Superman, Daredevil, Spiderman, or even Neo from the Matrix go through periods of self-doubt? For sure, they did! And they overcame their self-doubt through the power of self-belief. Now obviously you're not a superhero, but there's no reason why you can't perform to the best of your ability.

Tony Robbins is famously quoted as saing, “The only thing that's keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself.” Furthermore, “What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.”

And, this is why I say, “If you believe in yourself enough you can achieve anything” and why I need you to accept this fundamental entrepreneurship principle if you're going to achieve great things with your business.

How to gain confidence: 4 simple tips

1. One of the first things you can do is to remember this principle: “no two things can exist in your head at the same time.” What exactly does that mean? Well quite simply that at any given moment, you're either being of service to your market and in creation mode, or you're disengaged and judging yourself – in self-doubt mode.

2. The next thing you need to do is to train yourself not to indulge in self-doubt. The easiest way to do this is to stay engaged and be present in the moment and so this means creating the work that needs to be done for your business!

Now this doesn’t mean that you have to become a workaholic. However, it does mean that you have to become conscious of what you’re doing and become aware of what triggers your self-doubt.

3. Practice! Just like any form of exercise, if you’re out of shape you’ll feel the pain as your body adjusts to regular work-outs. Your muscles may even ache for a day or so afterwards. However, as you progress you’ll improve and the aches and pains will disappear, until of course you ask more of yourself. Then you’ll repeat the whole process!

4. Have people around you to support you makes all the difference so either out and get a mentor, join a mastermind group or find an environment that will support you going through this.

Now I want to hear from you

Which of these four tips do you think you’ll use?

Or better, which of these four tips have you already used with success? Share your story in the comments.

P.S. If you know anyone who could benefit from these self-doubt tips, take a second and send them a link to this post. You’ll be helping me… and THEM!

With love and gratitude – as always,

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March 26, 2013

Poor performance is ok…really! (this might surprise you)

By JaneFrankland | Mindset | No Comments

Ready for poor performance?

Yes you heard me right. Ready for poor performance – it's gonna happen. Now stay with me as there's method in the madness! Trust me. Not that long ago I wrote about failure and why it's good – like fertilizer. This time though I'm writing about performance. Specifically, about poor performance and regression, and why as an entrepreneur you must never get disheartened when it happens. I say this because it's not a case of ‘if' it will happen, but ‘when.'

Have you ever said, “Why can't I do this? I've done it before and now it's just not working. I don't understand!”

And, have you ever heard this saying, “Sometimes you have to take a step back in order to take 2 steps forward? I'm betting you have. We've all heard it haven't we? But, what I'm interested to know is whether you really understand it?

Let me tell you a couple of stories and then you might get more clearly what I'm harping on about….

Story 1

I remember vividly a conversation I had with my bank manager about 20 years ago, just after my eldest son was born. It was about a poorly paid job I'd been offered, that actually had great prospects. She told me to take it and that “sometimes you have to take a step back in order to take 2 steps forward.” So I took the job, and her advice proved sound. Whilst the pay was poor, once I'd mastered the art of selling, I was earning good commission and quadrupling my base salary. That job provided not only with a good grounding in sales, but also a great foundation for running what was to become my 7 figure business.

However, despite this success story, I'd only partially learnt the lesson of ‘taking a step back to take 2 steps forward.'

Cue story 2

I never really understood the lesson until I saw it play out before my eyes, and it was my daughter, and her riding instructor who I have to thank for this.

Now, I've been riding since I was 2 years old but my daughter (who's 11 years) has only been riding for about 4 years. She's a promising little rider, but what I've witnessed is that occasionally, for a very brief spell, she regresses and her performance seriously diminishes. Interestingly, what happens is that, for whatever reason, she loses her confidence and self belief. She thinks she can't do it, so she doesn't.

Remember what Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right.” Boy was he right!

And, it's due to this that she reverts back to a former state – a state of comfort, otherwise known as her comfort zone – a place where she feels safe.

Now the interesting thing with this story is that it's actually her subconscious that's controlling her. Unlike the example I gave in story 1, when I consciously chose to take a poorly paid job because it had great prospects, my daughter is not consciously in control. So it's her inner being that's deciding her actions. It's this part of her that's enabling her poor performance. Tony Robbins would call it her state.

When you stop to think about this, it's quite terrifying, but this goes on with all of us – ALL THE TIME!

So what's to be done?

Well for a start this is the time to pull up your big girl panties and get conscious! Learn to accept that it will happen as it's part of your development.

[box]”Poor performance is often a pre-requisite for progress” – Jane Frankland TWEET THIS[/box]

Video break

Back in the game? Ok read on…

Check this out for an analogy…

It's like going home to your mum's for a cup of tea and a cuddle, when all's going wrong in your world and you feel like giving up! When you're there, in that safe space, you get a breather and the support you need. You recharge. You recalibrate. As a result your confidence and energy return. Then you're back on your feet ready to take on the world – usually with more gusto than before.

I always like to think of it like this. When your performance moves backwards, it's just like an elastic band being pulled back. It's moving and it's ready to ping forward with energy and pace. And that's why I always say not to worry – THIS IS A GOOD THING as you're getting ready for a leap and to be propelled further forwards than you were before!

Poor performance and performance management

So remember, for most of the time, you live in a very steady state. You do your things the same way, day after day, and life seems to be peaceful, comfortable and easygoing. However, occasionally you have to do something that you don’t feel too comfortable about. Sometimes you'll take this in your stride and other times you won't, and yes you may suffer from poor performance as a result.

When you don't take things in your stride and go through poor performance, never despair and don't be hard on yourself for this. This is NOT the time to give up, or the time for self flagellation. Be kind to yourself but keep on going; keep on moving – whether it's forwards or occasionally backwards. Remember, momentum is good – whichever way it is. Progress requires a backward step every now and again. Poor performance is inevitable if you're going to learn, advance and develop.

And, repeat after me: “stretching my comfort zone is mandatory if I'm going to achieve it as an entrepreneur.”

Now I want to hear from you

Tell me if you've ever moved backwards, if you've suffered from poor performance and what the consequences of it were. When you got over it, did you find yourself further forward as a result? Leave me your story in the comments below.

With love and gratitude – as always,

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March 15, 2013

Red Nose Day: Raising money for comic relief

By JaneFrankland | Mindset | No Comments

I'm fundraising for Comic Relief – join me!

When you're an entrepreneur you've got your eye on business and it's easy to get caught up in chasing revenue and maximising profits. Today though, I'm urging you to think about transforming the lives of people in the UK and across Africa, through the work of Comic Relief. I'm asking you to Give em your bloomin wonga!

It’s been 25 years since Red Nose Day first burst onto our screens and this year, once again, the UK nation is gearing up to put on their Noses, pull out all the stops, and get fundraising.

Whether it’s at work, at school or at home, the money raised is used to transform the lives of countless people, both in the UK (where I'm from) and across Africa.

So, this year I'm doing as I've always done each year on Red Nose Day – donating and raising money for comic relief. So, come on join me and help make a difference in the world.

Comic Relief funny for money

Tonight, from 7pm, on BBC One, it’s the big one: the night of Red Nose Day TV. Full of sketches and general hilarity, make sure you don’t miss out. If you're a fan of Call the Midwife, here's how they transformed it….

A just world free from poverty

Comic Relief works tirelessly to support some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the UK and around the world as we strive towards a just world free from poverty.

Their aim is to bring about real and lasting change by tackling the root causes of poverty and social injustice, rather than simply treating the symptoms. After all these years, the one thing we know is that when you give people the chance to live their lives with dignity, they invariably grab it with both hands.

So, to drive this change, Comic Relief awards grants to incredible projects on the ground that work to give people a leg up, not a hand out. They also go beyond giving grants and use their brand and influence to do all sorts of other work that moves us closer to our ambition.

Take action now

When you make a donation, you really are about to do something very special. Whatever you give will help to make a real difference to people, here in the UK and across Africa, who are living unimaginably tough lives. All you need to do is to donate now.

Thank you in advance. With love and gratitude – as always,

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January 11, 2013

Goal setting checklist

By JaneFrankland | business start ups, Established business, Lifestyle, Mindset | No Comments

Here's a check list for setting your goals

This post follows on from the last one I wrote on goal setting – Guilty as charged: for not setting my goals. Anyway, I love goal setting and really value it as an incredibly powerful tool both in terms of my own self development and my company's. And this is why I'm sharing just one more post with you right now. When goal setting is used effectively it can greatly enhance your skill as an effective and motivating leader. Throughout history strong leaders and organizations have used goals to shape and influence the destinies of millions. And this is why they're so vital. You see, you and your company can leave such an imprint on the lives of others by setting worthwhile goals and committing to their achievement.

With a mindset of a successful leader you must refuse to sit by passively and leave your future to chance or to the choices of others. You have to dare to make your own decisions and to direct your company toward success. Through goals you can create the confidence that comes from knowing where you and your team are going, and how you intend to get there. Goals provide you with a sense of direction to keep you focused on what's important. They bring to life a sense of order and purpose that sustains desire and motivation over a long period of time! Yay!

So here's a check list to ensure you've got your goals in place. By applying the principles here – writing them down you're already 80% more likely to ensure they succeed.

Please let me know how you'll use this and, also the goal setting you're planning. Until then….With love and gratitude – as always,

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January 5, 2013

Guilty as charged for not setting my goals

By JaneFrankland | Lifestyle, Mindset | No Comments

New Year, new start, new goals!

Did you know that your chances of attaining your dreams or goals become higher if you commit to them on paper or online or verbally? Well even though I did, I'm owning up. Yes, hands up I’m guilty as charged or not setting my goals at the start of the New Year. Argh! Quite honestly I’ve never done it and I have to say as I write this blog and think upon it, I’m quite embarrassed. I’m not saying I haven’t ever set goals, or written business plans – I’ve done plenty of those, it’s just that I’ve never done it at the start of the calendar year.

So, this year I’m changing all of that. I’m conscious that I need to work on my business and not just in it. I’m conscious that I need to be able to make effective use of my resources, and time is a big feature of these. I’m on a mission (as many of you know) and I’ve plenty of people to help. That’s why I’m writing a post for you on goal setting and changing my ways to enable a successful year ahead.

Being at the start of the New Year, I’ve already spent about two days thinking about my objectives for the year ahead and planning my activities strategically. I’ve also been scheduling activities to ensure they happen and I’m even writing a business plan to focus my mind some more. I’m excited and want to get you revved up about the whole thing too! I want to make sure you’re set up for success!

You see, we all dream about what we want in life and where we want to go, but how many of us produce a plan of how we’re going to get there? How many of us set goals? I imagine the answer is very few, and that’s a shame. Planning for our future is very important even if those plans change.

One of my favourite sayings is:

[box]“Man plans, God laughs.” – old Yiddish proverb TWEET THIS[/box]

Whilst I know only too well that life may not always go as planned, setting goals helps. Goals may be either short or long term and they can cover all aspects of our lives – financial, health, family, work, love, leisure and spiritual. Most of us are actually very good at setting short-term goals for we plan what we want to accomplish that day or week regularly.

The secret to accomplishing all goals – short-term and long-term though is by setting them. Now you can either opt for a written statement, or a visual statement, or both!

Before I go into either of those methods, I want to share with you one bit of advice I read by Danielle laPorte in her fantastic book, The Fire Starter Sessions. I found it challenged my approach to this exercise entirely. Danielle said to set goals based on how you want to feel. Forget the ‘bucket list' as she calls it, for this is not what drives us. Often when we set milestones and then reach them we feel dissatisfied. We then discover that the achievement isn't all that we made it out to be. Ironically (somewhat), all of our aspirations are driven by an innate desire to feel a certain way. So when we're clear on what we want to feel, our decision making gets to the hear of the matter. So get clear on how you want to feel and then do the ‘stuff' that makes you feel that way. SIMPLE!

Written goals

If you’re going for written goals, make them SMART goals as this works. SMART goals may not be ‘sexy' and to some may seem old fashioned or very corporate, but they work. So don't reinvent the wheel – use them!

Specific: Your goals must be specific and by this I mean you can’t just say, “I want to be successful.” You need to define them specifically and in this example, what success looks like to you. For your financial goals, think about how much income you'd like for this year and set it.

Measurable: You must be able to measure the outcome of your goals. When you set a goal you must include a time frame for achieving it. You can also specify amounts, and business plans are great for this when it comes to your business.

Attainable: Your goals need to be realistic and attainable. You need to think about how they can be accomplished. You’ll want to make sure your goals are neither out of reach nor below standard performance, otherwise they’ll be considered meaningless. You must attach an action to each goal too.

Relevant: As obvious as it seems, only choose goals that matter. Make sure you have the ability and skills necessary to reach them and acquire new skills if you don’t. Relevant goals (when met) drive your business, team forward. So ask, does this seem worthwhile? Is this the right time? Does this match our other efforts/needs? Are you the right person?

Timeframe: You must set a timeframe for your goals but always make your goals reachable within your time frame so you’re not setting yourself up to fail. Remember, you’ll do better if you take baby steps rather than one big giant step.

Negativity: Don't be negative. Make sure your goal is something you want rather than something you want to avoid.

Flexible: Remember to be flexible. If you encounter obstacles along the way, don't quit and give up on your goals. Instead, modify them to meet your current situation. If a particular goal becomes something that is no longer important to you, then you should be open to letting it go. That will allow you to put your energy into pursuing goals that are important to you.

Visual goals

There are various ways to do these but my favourite is by doing a vision board (dream board, treasure map or a visual explorer or creativity collage) and that’s probably because I’m a very visual, creative person. Anyway, they’re typically a poster board on which you paste or collage images that you’ve torn out from various magazines. They are so simple to make and loads of fun. The idea behind them is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, the life you want to lead, where you want to live, or where you want to go on holiday and so on, your life changes to match those images and those desires. It sounds far fetched but they work! Remember too that you can do these for so many aspects. For example, with your team at work, your children, and I once suggested to a teaching friend of mine to do one with her class of 11yr old boys, and they loved it!

Anyway, here’s how to do a vision board.

Step 1: Go through your magazines, and tear images or text that appeals to you from them. If you’ve got kids, you might want to do this with them – then you can get their buy in too. Then go through photos you have and allocate these. Anyway, have fun with it and make a big pile of images and phrases and words.

Step 2: Go through the images and begin to lay your favourites on the board. This step is where your intuition comes in and you can be as creative as you want in terms of layout. There’s no right or wrong way. This is your board so present it in the way you want to see it.

Step 3: Glue everything onto the board. Add writing if you want. You can paint on it, or write words with markers.

Step 4: Leave space in the very centre of the vision board for a fantastic photo of yourself where you look radiant and happy. Paste yourself in the centre of your board and include family photos too as these help to make it more real.

Step 5: Hang your vision board in a place where you will see it often. I have mine in my bedroom so I see it morning and night, at the very least.

Online dream boards

This works in the same way that a vision board works on paper, but it's online. This one is called The Dream Timeline and has been developed by a couple of friends of mine.

So my question to you is have you set your goals for this year? Are you clear on what you want to achieve and how you're going to get there? Did you base them on how you want to feel or just plan as we've been conditioned to? And finally, have you set goals, produced vision boards that have mostly come off as a result? Please share your tips, your vision boards, experiences and feedback in the comments below. I’d love to hear. Finally, thank you, as always for reading and contributing here. If you found this useful, please share it with your friends!

With love and gratitude – as always,

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