Set goals today.  Keep in mind the following when setting goals:

·         Put Some Thought into Your Goals-Take your time; make realistic goals, ones that you have considered and you believe can be accomplished.  They can be simple goals.

·          Make It Realistic-Do not set goals that are unreasonable or next to impossible to obtain, you are only setting yourself up to be discouraged and disappointed. 

·         Set Firm Goals-Most goals fall into one of two categories, you either want to start doing something new or you want to alter something.  The major challenge with both types is they focus on the action of stopping or altering something and typically lack exact specifics.  Take for example the goal of wanting to spend more time with your teams.  Not only does this goal lack specifics, but it has no positive focus on true accomplishment.  It is better to be specific regarding how often you want to meet with your teams or individuals so that the focus is not on the outcome but on the work.  

·         Set a Timetable-What is the difference between a goal and a dream? A goal is a dream with a deadline.

·         Make a Plan-It makes sense that if you are serious about achieving your goals a little pre-planning might be a worthwhile effort.  

·         Find Resources-If you are setting a new goal, it stands to reason that it most likely is something you have never accomplished before.  So, if this is a new challenge, or something that you have been unable to accomplish in the past, does it not stand to reason that you may need some help to ensure your success

·        Remind Yourself Every Day-Your goals may have been near the top of your list of things to do when you set them, but after a few months they have a tendency to slowly work their way down the 'things to do list' as we feverishly put out fires each day. In many instances, our goals actually fall off the 'to-do' list. 

·         Don't Give Up-Most companies start working their goals with lot of enthusiasm and energy to ensure their goals will be a success. Then after a while, the excitement goes away and the fires start burning.  Not long after you realize you have not sat with a team for 2 months.  Don't panic, your commitment to your goal is not destroyed.  There is no reason you cannot start up again where you left off.  You can start a goal any day you want to. 

·         Find A Goal Partner-A great way to ensure success is to find a goal partner. It may be a business friend, another cleaning service owner or Rags to Riches. Call around and find someone who is serious about setting and making their goals a success.  Make an agreement to talk at least once a month to discuss your goals, provide updates and to give each other support. Exchange e-mail updates on a weekly basis. Having someone to talk to about your goals and hearing about someone else's goals is a powerful motivator and it keeps you accountable.

·         Reward Yourself-Don't forget to reward yourself for achieving success. You have made a significant commitment to bringing about the success of your company and you need to be commended for your initiative and must be rewarded for your effort

Goals equal success.  Since we go to the trouble of having goals because we want to achieve them, an automatic outcome is that we automatically become psychologically motivated, activated and success oriented individuals.  Those without goals, more often than not, find themselves directionless relying mostly on things like luck. Of course, goal setting is only the first step. Constant goal review is the activity that ensures goal achievement and success!