How Are You Doing On Your Goals?

It’s just a little over a week since I published my 2010 Financial And Business Goals.  I’m  going to be trying something new this year:  actually referring to my goals on a weekly basis.  Too many people set their goals, maybe work at them for a few weeks, and then forget them until August when more urgent demands on their time crop up.  I know that’s what I did last year.  Problem is, by the time August comes around you’re already so far behind on some of your goals that it would be impossible to accomplish them in the few months remaining in the year.

While I accomplished most of my more important goals last year, I failed horribly on some others.  My most dramatic failure was in regards to my Spanish learning blog.  My original goal was to build it up to earn $1,000 per month by the end of the year, a goal I didn’t even come close to meeting.  Was my failure due to the fact that the goal was unrealistic to begin with?  No.  I just didn’t take the time to do much work on it.  My last post to that blog was in August of last year (incidentally, that post has done pretty well for the site).  I didn’t keep my eye on the prize, didn’t keep myself motivated, and most importantly hold myself accountable.  That extra $12,000 per month would have been very useful, and there’s no reason I couldn’t have achieved it if I’d tried.

The reason this concerns me is that I recently launched a new early retirement blog with the goal of earning $1,000 per month from it by the end of the year.  This new blog is going to be a major driver of my business over the next few years, at least as I currently envision it, so it’s imperative I make it work.  It only took me about 18 months to reach that threshold here, and I have the advantage of actually knowing what I’m doing this time around.  Plus, I can use this domain to kick-start that blog’s growth.  I see no reason I won’t be able to achieve my goal save one:  I might slack off.

I Need You To Hold Me Accountable

So far I’ve done a pretty good job of posting to the site and I’m beginning the link-building process.  I’ve even submitted posts from the blog to a few blog carnivals this week.  I think I’m definitely on track so far, but then again, it’s only been a week.  So I’m going to commit to reviewing my progress every week and making adjustments if necessary.  Additionally, I am going to post monthly updates on my progress on some of my business goals to keep myself motivated.  These updates will come on the first Sunday of each month.  Here’s where you come in:  don’t let me get away with slacking off! Mock me, insult me, keep me on my toes.  I can’t possibly succeed without your help.

Hold Yourself Accountable

If you have a blog, I encourage you to publish your own goals.  Even if it’s just a private blog nobody reads, the act of making your goals and progress public will motivate you to perform.  If you don’t have a blog, keep a journal and share your results with friends or family.  Or perhaps start a blog on one of the free blogging platforms (such as blogger.com or wordpress.com).  Trust me, there’s no better motivation than the fear of a public flogging after putting yourself out there.