Goals are supposed to be motivating, aren’t they?

But if you’re not careful, there is one trap that can transform a magnificent goal into an overwhelming obstacle.  I know all too well, because I’ve been trying to blast through, climb over, or go around one of those obstacles myself for the last few months.

Many times goals are pretty straightforward and require little more than your consistent commitment to action. Then there are times when we set BIG, complex goals that take us where we’ve never been before. Those goals that have us blazing a path where no one has gone before require us to gather a team of experts to bring the goal to reality.   Look to your upline (s) and even your MLM Company for that team of experts.

The same trap is always there, but with these BIG goals this stumbling block can become like a black hole that sucks anything nearby into the abyss – including your energy, motivation and momentum.

You see, the trap that turns your goals (especially the BIG ones) into daunting obstacles is – overestimating what you can do in the short term, and underestimating what you can do in the long-term.

It’s human nature. Even more so for highly-driven, type-A entrepreneurs like yourself. You get a clear picture of an awesome goal and the motivation/energy from that image flows over into a target date for accomplishing that BIG MLM goal.

So to level the playing field and set yourself up to win right from the beginning, here’s how you can successfully achieve even the most grandiose goals. After formatting your goal, including the three secret keys to consistent goal achievement (a clear definition/specific date, a thumbnail sketch of how you’ll achieve the goal and what you’ll get when the goal is reached) – you’re ready to follow through on these three Peak Performance Steps.

STEP ONE:
Create a Complete, Quantifiable Action-Plan

The first thing you want to do in this step is to brainstorm all possible action steps that must be completed in order to achieve your BIG goal (and any associated “stepping-stone goals.”)

Once you complete this, put your action steps into priority order. Carefully scrutinize each individual action to determine the time needed to complete each step. The final part of step one is to total the required hours you’ve calculated to complete all your actions, and then add 10% as a “fudge factor” to buffer inevitable delays.  Don’t forget, we work with others as we achieve goals, so your MLM Team needs to be on the same page with you.

STEP TWO:
Schedule All Your Actions

First, pull out your day timer or open your calendar in your planning software. Starting from today and moving all the way out to the target date of your goal – block out appointment times on your schedule to reflect your normal weekly activities, your current business responsibilities, and 20% of each of your weekday hours blocked off as “flex time.” (This 20% flex time allocation is crucial if you’re going to gain control over unexpected draws on your time.)

Next, count all the “open” hours you can allocate to your BIG goal each and every week between today and your goal date. And be sure to include all “sacrificial hours” (evening, nighttime, weekends) that you’re fully committed to dedicating to the accomplishment of this goal. If the
total hours you’ve calculated that you need for all your actions total anything more than 90% of your open/committed time – you need to adjust the target date of your big goal further out.

Once you have your target date far enough out to allow your “goal action hours” to take up no more than 90% of the open/committed hours on your schedule — you’re ready to actually block out your schedule.

Again, starting on your calendar with today’s date, take each action you have associated with your BIG goal and schedule it as an appointment using the estimated time you allocated for each action as the length for the appointment.  Work down your prioritized list, scheduling actions each week as actual appointments in the open/committed time slots on your calendar.

WARNING: DO NOT be tempted to use the 20% flex time that’s worked into your schedule for scheduling your goal actions.  This alone could kill any chances of staying on the set timeline for your goal.

STEP THREE:
Welcome the Organic Growth of Your Goal and Adjust Accordingly

Even when you include 20% flex time in every workday, and you carefully include a 10% fudge factor to buffer inevitable delays in completing your goal actions – there is something unique that often happens with really BIG goals.

These type of goals are usually rooted in a vivid entrepreneurial dream or vision. And because of this, these BIG goals are like living organisms. They grow, stretch, and mature to become much more than what you could have ever envisioned when you originally set the goal.

This is the good part of the BIG goal trap – underestimating what you can achieve in the long-term. The greatest advantage you can give yourself is to expect this organic growth. Although there’s no way to accurately forecast how this will impact the timeline of achieving your BIG goal, you can establish a foundational framework right now that will protect your motivation and momentum as your BIG goal grows even larger.

In your planning, scheduling and preparation, keep in mind that the larger/more complex the project and the more distributors you have on your team, the more flex/fudge factor time you need to add.

These three steps are so simple and practical, even the most organizationally challenged MLM business owner can make them work.

First, create your action plan with conservative hourly estimates. Next, carefully analyze your schedule and block out time for your goal actions. Finally, welcome and plan for organic growth. Yes these steps will take some time and commitment, especially when you’re gung ho and want to get rolling on your goal right away. But it’s the only sure way to avoid de-motivation, frustration and avoidable delays.

Whether you’re just beginning to reach out towards a BIG goal, or in the midst of pushing towards one – give yourself a tremendous advantage. Stop for a moment in your hurried day-to-day activities. Then, dedicate the time you need to complete these three steps now.

I can guarantee you that any hours or days that you invest, starting right now, will save you unbelievable multiples of time down the road.

As a matter of fact, taking the time to complete these three steps may be the only thing that prevents you from becoming like 98% of the people in the world who never see their greatest goals and dreams come to reality.

Take action now!

Tags: distributors, dreams, MLM business, MLM Company, mlm goals, MLM Team, upline

Technorati Tags: distributors, dreams, MLM business, MLM Company, mlm goals, MLM Team, upline

 |  Email It  |  Print It  |  Subscribe to It!
This entry was posted on Thursday, June 12th, 2008 at 7:10 am and is filed under MLM - multi level marketing, Network Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.