There are two quotes that perfectly encapsulate my approach to life – and by extension – my business.
“It’s my party and I will cry if I want to” is an often quoted lyric from a song Lesley Gore released in 1963.
For me, the song and in particular this lyric represents the reality that bad things can and do happen and that it’s ok to feel the hurt, anger or whatever emotion is triggered. Events may or may not be within your control.
“If you don’t take control of your life don’t complain when others do” – Beth Mende, author. Meaning, if I want to ‘have’ something, ‘do’ or experience something, and or to ‘be’ something different, then it is up to me to make a plan and take action based on the plan to make it happen.
Zig Ziglar taught the “Be – Do – Have” formula, and Steven Covey bought it into the mainstream with his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.
Getting what you want requires showing up in a certain way (being), then taking some action (doing) to get what you want (having)”.
Note that while the having comes last, in the having it comes back to what you want. So really the first step is to be clear on what you “want”. If you are not clear on your want, then you are at risk of life happening despite of you!
The clearer you can be about your wants, the easier it is to make a plan. When considering your wants, consider options without limits. Flying to the moon was once impossible. Now, if you’ve got enough cash you can book a spaceflight!
Of course we often hear that businesses survive despite the owners efforts. I know I was guilty of this with my first business. I did not give out business cards or promote the business and yet I expected to have clients!
Some events are beyond your control; a very topical example being rising interest rates and food prices due to inflation. This is where accepting that bad things happen and allowing yourself a cry at your party comes in. But even with life’s lows and unforeseeable challenges, living with intention will more often than not get you where you want to go.
So, how to put this all into practice?
As part of my annual and quarterly planning I look at:
- What I need to work on personally, who I am, and what limiting beliefs or behaviours do I need to work on?
- Where am I at with my plan so far and what changes do I need to make to progress the plan or adjust to what is happening? This includes, do I still want that goal?
- What do I need to learn?
- Do my goals need more clarity?
- Are my goals linked to my values and my purpose?
Things to also consider in your planning, especially if you are in business:
- Tax payments – end of year tax, provisional tax
- Funds for working capital to see you through seasonal changes
- Funds that are required for capital expenditure
- Managing your risk, and succession planning in the event of the unexpected
Regardless of what your life, personal, relationships, and work or business goals are, it’s important to make have as much detail as possible. When developing goals, you do not necessarily need to know the how to make them happen. If you don’t have the answers, the “how” can be figured out by working with experts.
And always remember, when you are setting goals either personally or for business, you will have a greater chance of achieving any goal if the goal is authentic to who you are and is aligned to your values and life purpose.
Why am I talking about goals? One of the things that we are implementing with our clients at Building on Basics is talking more about where you want to go and the small things that you can do on a regular basis to get you there. If you want to get a home in 3 years then we can help you create an action plan to make it happen.
We can help you:
- Get finance to make things happen
- Develop a money management plan
- Set up your savings
- Set up and manage your KiwiSaver to maximise your deposit or funds for retirement
Getting finance is taking longer than it has in the past and the new legislation is requiring more information than previously; we can help you navigate and plan for this.
We also have limited business coaching spots available to help you with your business planning and to get the most out of your business systems and processes.
I’d love to hear your goals for 2023 and beyond, and to discuss how we can help. Book a time with me online, call 029 973 7911 or email elise@bob.kiwi.nz to arrange a free half hour consultation.