Goal Girl’s Blog

In this first article of (hopefully) many,  I’ll be talking about structuring your goals to increase the likelihood of a triumphant outcome.   Of course, everyone knows that the first step is to define said goal. 

For example: 

 I want to make more money!

This is what many people would put forth as a “goal”.   Well, if that is the goal, to split hairs, mission accomplished… most of us already want to make more money.    Even if we rephrase this to say more specifically:

My goal is to make more money!

Now what?

Fine to have such a goal, but defining the goal this way does not buy you anything (so to speak).  You probably don’t need to do a whole lot to meet this goal, as stated, as eventually you will gain seniority at your present job, or the value of a dollar will be so low that you’ll be making three times what you are now in terms of how many dollars you put in your bank account each month… so more money, but less spending power.  You can’t complain, because you have achieved your goal as stated…   but what if we put a time-limit on it?

I want to make more money within 12 months!

We’re getting warmer… The chances of the spending power of a dollar being cut by 2/3’s in twelve months is much less.   This way of stating your goal also tends to light a bit of a fire under you in terms of working toward your goal.  You don’t feel like you have forever to reach the goal, so you’d better start doing something about it now (if you are serious about the goal, and if you are not, why are you wasting so much valuable time defining it in the first place?).   Hmm… twelve months can zoom by pretty quickly.   Not a lot of time to dabble in one money generating method.  I’d better really work several methods and hedge my bets! (starting to see the advantage of setting a time limit yet?). 

Perhaps you bring home around $5000/month in your current situation.   Not a bad take-home, depending on your liabilities and life-style.  You’re grossing probably around $7200/month (will vary according to what insurance, retirement, etc. that you have taken out before you get your $5000).  Based on a 40 hour work-week, you’re earning about $45/hour.   What if you’re salaried and typically work 60 hour weeks?  Now you’re only earning $30/hour.    Assuming it doesn’t get you fired or cost you a raise, simply by cutting your work-week back to 40 hours, you’ve increased your hourly wage by %50!    So you are technically speaking, “making more money,” but you really don’t have any more money in your bank account than before.   Maybe a fewer ulcers in your stomach though, and that is certainly worth something!

Within 12 months, I want to replace $2000 of my take home pay with residual income so that I can work less!

 

A-hah!  Now there is a goal that just might get us somewhere!    

Now, how can I do that?  Personally, I’m on a quest to do it myself via online marketing, squidoo, twitter, etcetera, but that’s another article.