"New year, new me."
"I'm going to crush my goals this year!"
Have you found yourself saying those things? At the start of a new year and new season, it's easy to get caught up in the trends and cycles of doing something new. Bringing in change and improvement.
As I reflected over the past year I noticed something about the goals that I crushed and the ones where I fell short. The difference was my intentionality and focus. Was I intentional in forming habits to ensure I reached that goal? Was I focused on an outcome or the things that I could control to make that goal possible?
For example, as Enrolled Agents, we have the authority to represent taxpayers before the IRS. That includes advocating for them and negotiating on their behalf. Setting a goal that you want to eliminate all of your representation client's debt to $0 is a noble, but absurd goal. Negotiating tax debt is a privilege, but not a right. Getting everyone's debt to $0 is not an outcome that you can control.
Would it not be better for you to set goals towards actions you can take to result in the best outcome? That is something you can control.
I found that I had fallen into the trap of setting goals with outcomes that I cannot control. So instead I am focusing on the actions I can take and habits that I can create to serve my clients better. Habits that will make me better. I've created a spreadsheet to help me track my progress with taking action. I appreciate you being a subscriber, so at the end of this article, I am going to share it with you too!
First, let me tell you how I look at my goals and track my progress. It's not a coincidence that I always talk about mentorship and accountability. I would not be where I am in any aspect of my life without it. That's why I labeled one of these sheets in the workbook accountability.
Things don't happen in life by happenstance. You have to create a plan and follow it. Sometimes that's hard to do alone. We have to be honest with ourselves about that. Then we examine ourselves to find the areas that we are weak in. Find a person that has accomplished the goal(s) that you want to hit. Then find a community of people that can support you in your efforts.