What do you want to accomplish this year? Be specific. Next year at this time, if I ask you, “Did you do it?” I hope you’ll be able to answer in the affirmative, but what is “it”?
You have many options. You must decide what you want and be very clear about it. What’s the number? What’s the outcome?
Do you want more clients? How many? Do you want better clients? How do you define better? Do you want fewer clients who pay you more? How many and how much?
Start with the big picture–where do you want to be five or ten years from now?
Do you want to expand into a new market? Branch out into a new practice area? Attract different types of clients?
Do you want a big firm, with lots of employees and offices, or a small firm with low overhead and low(er) management requirements?
Do you want to build a war chest to finance something new, or passive income so you can retire?
Before you make a plan or take action, you must know what you want. But there’s something else you need to figure out.
Why?
Whatever it is that you want, you have to know why you want it. You want more income? Why? What will you do with it?
When you think you know your “why” take it deeper. You say you want more money to pay off debt, start a college fund, or hire some new staff. Fine. Why do you want that?
Ah, more staff will allow you to earn more and work less. Okay, why do you want that?
It will give you more time with the family you love. You won’t miss soccer games and ballet recitals. You’ll be able to pursue music or art or travel the world.
Okay, but why do you want those things?
Keep asking yourself “why” until you get to the emotional core that is driving what you want. That core will be fueled by one of two emotions: love or fear.
Your love of your children will keep you going when you hit an obstacle. So will your fear of disappointing them.
It is our emotions that drive us and unless we access those emotions, it’s too easy to get distracted, procrastinate, or give up.
When you have emotional clarity about what you want, nothing will stop you from getting it. Without that clarity, anything can stop you.
Get clear about what you want, and why you want it.
