Over the course of 2023, God, my family, and my clients have taught me A LOT about myself and my business… such as, who I want to serve, what I enjoy doing, why I need to let go of some things, etc. Many of the lessons did not feel good while enduring them, and they may have even knocked me down for a minute before deciding to get back up again. And some of the most valuable lessons came from unexpected people, such as all of the crafty women hustling at markets to sell their handmade goods, from those who interact with me on social media, and even from people I went to school with or served in the military with. Each and every one of us has a desire in our hearts to do something more. What I never realized before: While I have always had a “can do” attitude about myself and my ability to achieve anything I set my mind to, not all people can say the same about themselves. Even the seemingly bravest people I know do not trust themselves enough or believe in their ability to achieve their greatest desire, and sometimes they don’t even know what it is that they want most for themselves. This is a huge reason why I am making it a priority to help others improve their business and personal life in 2024, including you…
Below you will find three things every entrepreneur (and anyone who feels called to do something more) should do to prepare for a successful year ahead:
#1 Take Yourself Seriously.
Chances are that if you’re here, you have already read the intro paragraph or (if you’re like me) you skipped ahead and read all the bold text first AND you would do just about anything within your reach to ensure that next year is far better than last year. The very best thing you can do right now to ensure that is to start taking yourself seriously. No one else can do this for you. This may require a total mindset change or it could just be an aha! moment where you immediately realize how crucial it is for you to STOP limiting yourself (and your business) and to START getting intentional about who you are and what you are capable of doing + becoming. There’s no delegating this task. You are the only one who can do this step for you.
You owe it to yourself to consider any lies you may have been telling yourself last year so that you can begin to debunk them. Per usual, I encourage you to write them down. Make a list with three columns; something you desire (on the left side), the lie you tell yourself that keeps you from obtaining it (in the middle), and a statement of truth that debunks the lie (on the right side).
This may be uncomfortable or seem silly at first, but it is an exercise that will help you move forward with a fresh mindset which will ultimately push you towards achieving success in the new year.
#2. Set Personal & Business Goals.
You may have seen my previous posts about the importance of setting SMART business goals, but this is a little different because we are talking about the goals you want to reach for your business, plus the goals you want to reach for YOU. Why aren’t we staying focused on your business? Simple. Your business wouldn’t exist without you, and if you set business goals without considering your personal life, there’s a chance you won’t ever achieve them due to misalignment.
Luckily, you can use the same format to set both, personal and business goals. I like to use the acronym SMART for goal setting, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. I recommend no more than 2-3 long-term (annual) SMART goals for your personal life, and the same goes for your business for best outcomes.
When you write your goals, try using the following format:
“I will accomplish X amount of Y by Z because (your reason why).”
Here are some goals that I brainstormed for myself & my business:
Personal: I will accomplish 5 1-hour walks by the end of each week because exercise helps me focus and feel good throughout each day.
Business: I will accomplish writing and posting 4-blog posts by the end of every month because my audience deserves to get the support they need in areas of business, branding, and life as an entrepreneur.
A few bonus tips on goal setting:
- Get all your ideas down on paper without editing as you go.
- Be as specific as you possibly can about the thing you want to accomplish.
- Use amounts and deadlines so you can plan accordingly and measure your progress along the way.
- Make sure these goals are what YOU want to accomplish. You will never follow through on someone else’s goals.
- When you are done, prioritize them based upon relevancy and importance. Consider the impact accomplishing them will have on your personal life and business, and the negative outcome if you don’t accomplish each goal. Eliminate ones that don’t make sense now or ever and save some for later if your focus should be elsewhere.
- Make sure it is realistic for you to accomplish your business and personal goals within the same year. Think about what your schedule might look like if you were to implement some tasks each week to help you achieve them by the end of the year.
#3. Create a Vision Board.
Now that you know which goals you want to accomplish in the new year, you get to do the fun part where you allow yourself to envision what your year could look like by creating a vision board. Use printed graphics and images (maybe even magazine cut outs), poster board, and some glue to hand-make your vision board, or design one on your computer or mobile device. Choose an aesthetic that suits your style to make it even more appealing. Also, include your handwritten or typed goals. Don’t forget to include images of what it might feel like to accomplish everything or even some of the goals on your board, maybe a gigantic smiley face!
If you made it this far and plan to work on steps one through three right now, you have earned my best bonus tip, which is to really take yourself seriously by building a schedule for the next year that includes your annual goals and tasks that you must perform each month/week/day. Don’t overwhelm yourself with never ending to-do lists that you will never be able to finish. Keep it SMART. This will help you stay on track with accomplishing what you set out to do, but the real key to success is to follow your schedule vigorously day after day.
Feeling like you need some assistance? I am happy to help! All you have to do is send an email to: hello@juliafredricksen.com or submit an inquiry by filling out + submitting the form on my contact page to get started.
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