One Mom's Journey

This post describes my personality type, but you know what, if you are reading this, it is probably yours too. So read on.

To sum it up, I am a mom of three and their is a big age gap between number 1 and numbers 2 and 3, so our weekends get split up into many different activities for many different age groups - but you know what?  That is really beside the point.  I am an entrepreneur, and with life's awesome gift, children, I cannot possibly use them as an excuse to put my goals and my life on the back burner.  I did not accidentally have children, I chose this lifestyle, and with the "busy-ness" of it all, I decided that I would not forfeit my "business" due to it all.  For all of you right now who are nodding your heads and thinking - ya - she is totally right!  This is for you.

Here is the plan, and here is how I stick to it.

Set Realistic Goals

A goal is something measurable, and anyone who has studied in business probably knows this definition off hand, but for those of you who don't, this is what a goal is: an observable and measurable end result having one or more objectives to be achieved within a more or less fixed timeframe (www.businessdictionary.com/definition/goal.html).  According to this definition we must set objectives to accomplish a goal.  What have I done? I have set the objective of blogging at least three times a week.  This goal is now measurable. If I meet this goal, it means I have posted at least three times in a week, if I do not post, then I do not meet this goal.

You will notice that I have placed the word "realistic" in front of the word "goals" in the subheading.  Why? Because let's face it, as mentioned previously, with all the busy-ness of my life, I need to make this realistic in order to succeed.  The more I succeed, the more motivated I remain.

Talk about your goals
This is not to be mistaken as bragging.  This is something I share with my family so they can encourage me to remain on track.  I share this information with people who have an interest in what I do and an interest in wanting me to succeed, like a husband, or parent or best friend.  I also share these goals with my eldest child who even though he doesn't know it, I am sneakily sharing valuable life lessons with him, similar to suggestively selling him on tactics for success.

By talking about your goals, you are sending confirmation to the world that you are going to do this, and you are going to succeed. This is a very important step in what you do.

Be Mindful of Time

As a busy person, maybe you have a full time job already, or two!  Maybe you have a full time job plus kids, plus a part time job - this does not make this unachievable, you just need to set your goals to respect the amount of time you have to dedicate to this.  For example: I work full time and take care of my kids in the evenings - I blog and schedule my social content after kids go to bed (normally over a glass of wine).  I have cut the amount of time I spend in front of the TV so that I can achieve my goals.  You will rarely see me posting while I am spending time with my kids, because like I mentioned earlier, I chose them, so I must pay attention to them.

For those of you who are saying, OMG, how do you find time to do all of this?  I say, cut the crap. You know if you tried, you could find time.  Something would have to give, like watching TV, or mopping the floor and cleaning the bathrooms ten times a week.  Like my mom always says, when there is a will, there is a way.

Re-evaluate your Goals

And finally, re-evaluate your goals.  Goals, like businesses, can become stale, or expired if they are not re-evaluated from time to time.  For example: as my readership grows, the demand for more compelling content driven blog posts will follow.  If I continue to only post three times a week, I may lose readers who crave daily content. That is particular to blogging, lets reference something like a product.  If you are selling one product and your goal was to sell 100 pieces a month, eventually your demand will trickle above this number, so you will have to increase your goals and motivate yourself and/or sales people to sell more.  Set new goals, higher ones, but keep them realistic to breed success and not failure.

In summary, everything boils down to setting realistic and achievable goals. Don't fool yourself. Major accomplishments do not happen over night.  And most people who make major accomplishments have committed themselves to their goals. So stop making excuses about not having enough time and start small, with achievable goals, and watch, you will succeed.

Laura Page-Hamelin
Author/Illustrator
www.lphillustrations.com