4 Breakthrough Steps to Achieve Your Gold Medal

With the Summer Olympic games less than a month away, athletes are preparing themselves to go for the gold. They went to the gym each day, followed their workout schedules, and prepared for the Nationals. For some athletes, they will have the opportunity to go for the gold medal.

We all know those athletes didn’t get to the Olympics overnight. They set their sights on a long-distance goal, performed at numerous competitions, and worked through their daily routines where they perfected their craft. They knew how well they were doing because they kept an eye on their metrics, whether it was a better time, a better score, or a better placement. Each time knowing where they were with an eye on where they were going.

Entrepreneurs can learn a lot from these athletes. For many business owners, however, it is difficult to make any assessment on how well they are doing because they haven’t set goals and objectives. Yet setting your goals and objectives are critical to getting your gold.

More often, entrepreneurs interchange goals and objectives. In the context of goal setting, there is an important practical difference. After you set important goals, which are more broad and general, like becoming an Olympic athlete, you move to setting objectives whose purpose is to serve your goals. Objectives are more precise and concrete, like placing first at nationals in June, and move you closer to your goal.

Whether you have objectives or need to create them, keep these four steps in mind to achieve your gold medal:

1. Be Specific. A specific objective has a much greater chance at being accomplished than a just general one. When creating a specific objective, use the what, where, and why to craft it. For example, your goal is “Be Financially Independent.” An objective to support the goal is, “Get 12 new prospects a week and secure 5 new clients each month.” Your objective is tied in to the overall goal and is specific to create action around it.

2. Measure your progress. One of the most important aspects to achieving an objective is to regularly measure your progress. To determine if your objective is measureable, simply ask: “How will I know when the objective is accomplished?”

3. Get Support. Just like any good athlete, entrepreneurs must remember to reach out for guidance: through education, coaching or mentorship. When you do, you’ll make quantum leaps because you have the support from people who have expertise and give you feedback on how to stretch a little further.

4. Give an Objective a Timeframe. An objective should be anchored with a timeframe. With no timeframe tied to it, there’s no sense of urgency and things don’t get done. Athletes always know the date of their next competition so they take the required action to prepare for it. If you want more clients, when do you want them by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you fasten it with a timeframe, “3 new clients by August 1” then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on it.

When you follow these steps, you will find your objectives work in concert with your goals so you walk away a winner.