Hello and happy Monday! This is Susan Hyatt and it’s GO time.
This is the 112th episode in a series of GO mp3s to wake you up on your Monday morning and get you going.
In this episode we’re talking about how to not to get so fixated on one super specific goal that you forget that… you’ve got other options. And I’ll share two questions to ask yourself if Plan A isn’t panning out in the way that you’d hoped.
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Wanna read the full transcript? Here ya go:
I’m a master certified life coach, which means that my job is to help my clients get what they crave.
Some of my clients want to launch a business. Some want to reinvent their career in some way. Some want to feel at peace in their bodies—feel confident and comfortable in their skin—after decades of dieting and so much drama. Some of my clients have really specific financial goals, like, I want to make $300,000 this year so that my husband can quit his job and be home with the kids, and we can get a lake house.
Or whatever.
It’s great to set goals. I love big, ambitious goals. Hell yes.
But as you’re chasing your goals, be careful not to lose sight of the big picture. Be careful not to get so fixated on one super specific goal that you forget that…
you’ve got other options.
Here’s an example of what I mean…
For the past several years, I’ve been working on a project called BARE. This project is all about helping women to stop obsessing about their weight and love their bodies.
BARE has several components. There’s a coaching program. There’s a coach certification program. There’s a card deck with beautiful illustrated cards–you can pull out a new card every day and read the message to yourself. And… there’s a book.
I really wanted to get a six-figure book deal with a major publisher to bring that book into the world. It hasn’t happened yet. It might! But it’s not completely up to me if that happens or not. It’s a beautiful goal, but it’s not a goal that I can completely control.
For awhile, I was frustrated because it felt like the book deal was stalling out. Nothing was happening. Publishers didn’t seem interested. The whole thing was really discouraging. I had this goal, and it just wasn’t happening on the timeline that I wanted! Ugh!
But then I realized… Hold up. Wait a sec.
I’m fixated on this book deal, but this book deal is just one facet of my vision for BARE. It’s not the whole picture. There are plenty of other ways that I can bring the BARE message to women all over the world, even if this fancy book deal never comes through.
I’ve got plenty of other options. For example, I could self-publish the book. I could record the book as a podcast, like an audio book, and release it myself in that format. I could post the entire book as a really, really long Facebook post. Haha! You get the idea. If my goal is to bring this message into the world, then I’ve got dozens of options.
Once I remembered that, I felt so energized. My mood went from grumpy to exhilarated. Total 180 turnaround.
I spent the next several days recording videos and creating something called the BARE DAILY community, which is essentially the same stuff that’s in my book, but broken out into smaller sections with videos, podcasts, and other materials.
The BARE DAILY community has been a huge success. And the whole thing happened because I reminded myself: I’ve got options.
You’ve got options, too.
Way more options that you might realize.
Here’s my challenge for you this week…
If you notice yourself getting frustrated because something isn’t happening, or something isn’t happening as quickly as you’d like, take a step back, and try to explore all of your options.
Maybe you’re feeling discouraged because you launched a new class but you haven’t gotten a ton of sign ups. OK, that’s not fun, however… what are your options?
Are you trying to earn $80,000 this year? There are plenty of other ways to do that, beyond this one class.
Are you trying to help and inspire people? To change people’s lives? There are other ways to do that, beyond this one class.
Are you trying to position yourself as an authority in your industry? There are other ways to do that, too.
Ask yourself… What else could I do to reach my ultimate goal? What else could I do to move my life in the direction I want?
There are probably at least 10 other things you could do to move in that direction, even if your current project completely fizzles out. You’ve got other options. And of course, what I really mean is, you can create other options.
If Plan A isn’t panning out in the way that you’d hoped, you can create Plan B, C, and D.
Even when we feel really stuck, we always have more options than we think.
This week? Keep reminding yourself, “I’ve got options.”
Keep your mind, your heart, and your options… open.
It’s GO time.
P.S. You can sign up for the BARE Certification program right here or get on the list to be the first to know when the BARE Daily community opens for enrollment right here.