Setting Goals

I've been thinking a lot lately about the goals we set for ourselves. Most of the time, it's concrete goals with a number attached like, "I want to do $50,000 in new business this year" or "I want to save enough money to take my dream trip next summer". These goals are important, but what I find even more helpful is creating Emotional Goals - what you want to achieve for yourself, whether it's through your business or personal life.

For example, when we started Itsy Bitsy & Bold last year, Heather and I wrote down what each of us wanted out of the business. We had to think very specifically about what we wanted to put into it and what we wanted to get out of it. Since we both had our own businesses prior to this, we took what we had learned from each and defined what was important to us, as well as what we didn't want.

After my experiences with the soap, I knew I didn't want something that was manual labor-intensive (Shocker - I can be taught!) Our goals were: to create a business that we could later expand on, focus on creativity and great design, and put something out there that had a positive impact on kids. By being clear on what we did and didn't want we were able to form a business that hopefully meets our needs on a personal level and achieves the goals we set for ourselves.

• Think long-term Try to figure out what you want in the end... is it a stepping-stone to something else? Is it something that you can do on the side?
• Ask questions Ask yourself why you want a certain goal. Isolating your reasoning will help you get to the heart of the matter.
• Be specific Paint a picture of what you want and be as detailed as possible.
• Put it in writing I am a huge fan of writing things down. I take it a step further and post in on my desk where I can see it daily.
• Don't be afraid of change Things happen, goals change - reviewing your list and making alterations is just as important as writing them down the first time.

When was the last time you reviewed your goals?