How to make your company vision magnetic in the new year

“Our life is what our thoughts make it.” — Marcus Aurelius

Yup, it’s that time of year when many of us set annual goals in the key areas of our lives. There are almost an infinite number of tips on setting and achieving goals. Many have the same themes. Ultimately it almost always comes down to a solid combination of focus, discipline, and follow through.

Focus

Sound goal setting always starts out with an almost magnetic vision of what the future should look like. When I say magnetic, that future vision should be powerful enough to pull you in its direction, in spite of whatever obstacles present themselves. From a business perspective, the goal might be a sales number, implementation of a critical new process, starting a new product line, exceeding mandated totals — the list goes on. To make any of these magnetic, you need to put the vision into a powerful, present-tense picture. Here is an example:

“I am at our company celebration at the end of 2021. My team is beyond excited to be here because we have not only met our aggressive goals for an extremely challenging year, we have exceeded them. Two new product lines blew the walls off our competition. Sales are 20% over projections. The team itself has come together like never before — no infighting between departments and perfect response times when needed.”

You could keep adding to this vision, but the point is that it’s MAGNETIC. It is also a great way to kick off a new year by sharing this vision with the team — not just the typical set of numbers and plans.

The same process holds true for personal goals. A favorite example is a friend who “committed” to lose weight every Jan. 1, went on a new fad diet, joined a fitness club, went for a few months, and then finally settled back to the same old eating, drinking, and exercise habits. The turning point came when she bought a pair of pants — her magnetic vision — that she committed to fit in by the end of the year. Every day she pictured herself in those pants and did the things necessary to make it happen. Guess what — she made it happen!

Discipline and follow through

Successful people have a habit of doing the things that others know they should be doing but don’t get around to doing. For every action, there is subsequent learning and more action. Those who succeed, learn and keep advancing. You can plan and have the greatest vision ever, but those who win pull the trigger and act despite any preconceived worries and concerns. If there wasn’t some risk to be had and learning to be done, you would have achieved your goals long ago.

In today’s world, there are too many excuses, too much worrying, and placing too much blame. You make the life you deserve in spite of circumstances. You deserve the life you create from your actions, not your worries and concerns. When you hear yourself say, “We should ________” in some sort of vague complaint, correct yourself and say, “I will_________.” Always work on yourself and your actions. It is your only doorway to that magnetic vision, and it gives you the power to change whatever needs changing.

Tell yourself your magnetic vision is possible. No one attempts to do things that are impossible. It doesn’t necessarily guarantee success, but it does open your mind to what is possible instead of regressing to past restraints.

In closing, Happy New Year, and remember: Successful people are the few who focus and then follow through!

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