You’ve decided to create an online home based business and you’re in the process of creating your business plan. One very important section of this forecast should be dedicated to listing both your short term and long term goals. According to entrepreneur website, goal setting is defined as: “Establishing short-term or long-term objectives, usually incorporating deadlines and quantifiable measures.”
“If you really want to make a success of your business, it’s important to define your business goals, especially before you get started. For some people, the goal is the freedom to do what they want when they want, without anyone telling them otherwise. For others, the goal is financial security.”
Goal setting is a fundamental requirement or strategy which can determine the ultimate success or failure of your home business. People who take the time to document and plan on how to achieve their objectives are generally more successful in the long term than the people who don’t. You may encounter many road blocks when trying to achieve your goals but sometimes no deterrent can be greater than us. We are our own worst enemies.
Procrastination, distraction and self doubt are probably the three biggest hurdles we must over come within ourselves in order to become as successful as we want to be. The old saying never put off until tomorrow what you can do today is very applicable to the home business owner’s situation because it’s very easy to avoid something you don’t necessarily enjoy doing by procrastinating.
One way to avoid this is to consciously practice doing what needs to be done on a daily basis by writing a to-do list at the end of each work day for the following work day. Concentrate on completing each task on your list before moving on to the next chore and before you know it you’ll have completed your short term goals for that day.
All of us are easily distracted and this problem can be compounded because of the environment we are working in on a daily basis which is, in our case, our homes. Whether it’s the sunny weather outside, our wives, our kids, our friends dropping by, the telephone or our email account, these situations all have to be eliminated from our work environment for a specified amount of time each and every work day.
The best way to remove these disruptions from the equation is to create an office or work space in a quiet area of your home. Remove televisions, radios, home telephones and any other diversions you possibly can from this area. Instruct your family that you aren’t to be disturbed for any reason other than an emergency during regular work hours. After all this is how you support your family and pay the bills; it isn’t a hobby and shouldn’t be treated as such or your home business career will be short lived.
As we mentioned as with any business, be it a home based venture or a major corporation, there will always be road blocks, set backs and failures. How we deal with these situations will help determine our ultimate success or failure. Self doubt or a loss of confidence in the belief that we can do it can sometimes be the ultimate set back and can often seal our fate.
A great way to move past these pitfalls is to never lose sight of your ultimate goal. On a daily basis you have to remind yourself why you’re doing this in the first place. After you document your goals you should revisit them every day to make them a part of your daily routine. Look at all the positive results you achieve on a daily basis at the end of every day and feel good about what you’ve accomplished.
Never lose faith in yourself and never let the feeling of self doubt creep into your psychic. When ever you begin to think in a negative fashion remind yourself of where you are now as compared to this time last year or the year before and where you’re going to be this time next year. Visualize where you want to be, internalize your goals and your belief that you will accomplish them and work your ass off and success will happen for you and your home based business.