F*ck New Year Resolutions, Set a Vision Instead

Episode 9

New Year Resolutions For Entrepreneurs

Here’s what I love about the changing of the year….it’s a symbolic fresh start. New beginnings and fresh starts are the perfect opportunity to hit the reset button and make a change for the better.

There’s something about the change in calendar that reminds us to take a moment and reevaluate where we are and where we want to go. It’s like we give ourselves permission to open the floodgates into our imagination and dream big, bold audacious dreams. We’ve been handed a fresh, pristine canvas and we get to decide what picture we’re going to paint. There’s always magic in new beginnings.

At New Years, we are handed a fresh, pristine canvas and we get to decide what picture we’re going to paint.

New Year, New Solutions

It makes complete sense that we would use this moment in time each year to set the course of how we want our life to look in the next 365 days. A fresh start is a great time to decide to get more organized, lose weight, live within our budget, and spend less time watching Netflix and more time meditating. I’m even willing to bet that if I did all of those things my entire life would be transformed. My kids would miraculously remember to replace the empty toilet paper roll and my cats would stop vomiting on the carpet.

And let’s not forget our business. If we start a Miracle Morning routine at 5 am, get to inbox 0 by 5pm, automate our customer support, and hire an Integrator to handle all of it, then we could operate in our zone of genius all the time which would pretty much guarantee that we 10x our revenue and have a 7-figure year.

I say all of this in jest, but let’s be honest, that’s what we really want right? That’s why we make resolutions in the first place.

Despite all of our desires and best intentions, the data shows that less than 25% of people stay committed to their resolutions beyond the first 30 days. To make it even worse, only 8% actually accomplish them.

That’s pretty grim. I don’t tell you that to burst your bubble. You’re not doomed to swimming in the status quo for the rest of your life. I’m giving you the facts because the problem isn’t with you or with your audacious dreams, the problem is that resolutions are often broad, vague and wishy washy. Your brain needs clarity, intention and purpose for it to accomplish what you want.

Resolutions are often broad, vague and wishy washy. Your brain needs clarity, intention and purpose for it to accomplish what you want.

For that reason, I say Fuck resolutions, set a goal instead.

Goals that are specific and paired with an action plan are an effective and reliable path to creating the results you desire. If you want to make a change that will last beyond your limited supply of willpower, set a goal.

Goals For The New Year

Goals are the stepping stones to creating a business and life that you love. When you string them together they become the step-by-step path to success.

Which brings me to one of the things that we get wrong as entrepreneurs who set ambitious goals. We decide what we want, we acknowledge what we need to do to achieve it, then we try to find a shortcut. Although I haven’t researched this, I’m pretty certain we are biologically wired to seek and find as many shortcuts in life as possible.

In business this means that instead of stair-stepping our way to success, we try to find an elevator. And if we can’t find an elevator, well, we will try to build one. I’ve been building businesses long enough to know that after days, weeks and months of trying to build an elevator, even the most determined entrepreneur will get frustrated and be tempted to either change their goal or quit entirely.

Full disclosure: when I first started out with my coaching business, I did this…a lot. No judgement from me if you've been doing this too.

How To Set New Goals For The New Year 2024

Now, here’s the plot twist. Setting the goal is NOT the first step. When we start here, we are making it harder because we’ve skipped the most important step – Creating a vision.

Let me clarify that there are two types of vision we need to create – there’s the vision for our business that is tied to our goals. Then there is the vision of who we are as the leader in our business. It’s this vision, our entrepreneur vision, that determines our ability to achieve our business goals.

It's the Entrepreneur vision, that determines our ability to achieve our business goals.

This is important because our results are directly tied to how we show up each and every day. Who we show up as is our Entrepreneur identity. We often dream about who we will be, what we will look like, when we reach our goals but we fail to realize that we have to be that person FIRST. We have to step into the next best version of ourselves and operate from that mindset and that energy. It’s from this energetic, mental and emotional place that we create the results we want. That’s why it’s the first part of my no-fail success formula:

vision > goal > plan > action > reality

Intentions For The New Year Are Tied To Our Vision Of Ourselves

It’s the vision of who we are that decides the vision of what we want to create. From that vision we set a goal, develop a plan, take consistent and persistent action until that vision becomes reality.

That’s why I say fuck resolutions, set a vision instead. It is the first step, and arguably the most important step, to building a business that you love.

Don't forget that the perks of success is about more than the number in your business ledger. Who we become along the way and as we climb each step to the top, decides how much we enjoy this overall experience. The vision we have of ourselves as we go on this crazy fun adventure sets the tone for all of the unexpected joys we’ll have along the way. If taking the stairs is inevitable, we might as well enjoy the view on the way up.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING...

Danielle's message is spot on with achieving goals. Not only does she practice what she preaches, but she's your guide to help YOU achieve the best version of yourself! A must listen!

KRYSTAL PROFFIT

Grow a biz & feel good! Danielle is really skilled at bringing both the actionable steps plus the mindset work so we can feel good as we grow our businesses while being present for our families. I look forward to listening every week!