So what is a mindset hack? 

Well, for starters the definition of a hack is to jury-rig or improvise something inelegant but effective, usually as a temporary solution to a problem.

So it is not pretty, but it works and the problem becomes once you see how well it works, you'll repeat it and it will become your new normal, no longer a temporary solution. 

While hacks aren't usually pretty, this mindset hack is one that you will want to keep applying to your business. Are you ready for it?

IN THIS EPISODE

Let's talk about the problem then we'll get to the solution. Does this sound like you?

Problem: Focusing on the How

Every year you set goals for the new year. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, you say to yourself, "This is my year!" Something about the new beginning gives you a mental reset. Out with the old, in with the new. The new you! Ready for anything. This is the year your dreams come true! You start dreaming about what you want to accomplish in a year. You make a vision board. You buy one of those pretty new planners and you start filling it up. So many blank pages. So much time!

You've taken goal-setting workshops or courses, you know all about SMART goals. Specific. measurable. Attainable. Realistic and time bound.

So you set a money goal a business goal or two and maybe a couple of personal goals... with actual numbers- and give them a date (aka deadline). And your brain says, ok, I'm down with that. Let's talk about how and make a plan.

What happens when you go into how mode?  You start to reverse engineer. And work backwards from that date.

Your head starts spinning. But... you have LOTS of time! So you pencil in your tasks and due dates for all the things you MUST do and you SHOULD do. That planner is starting to fill up. You're feeling pretty damn good. Proud of yourself already. And you haven't even started the new year yet. This is off to a good start!

Except, you've filled up that planner and forgotten about one kind of important thing: LIFE! When it comes to time, we severely overestimate what we can get done in short time spans, especially when it comes to new businesses or new projects or ventures. When we're new at something, there is a learning curve. It always takes 3-4x longer than it would take someone with experience.

You end up doing one of 2 things:

Get down on yourself. Beat yourself up. You've failed at accomplishing your goals. Doubt kicks in. "Am I ever going to be "that" successful?" Am I ever going to have that life on my dream board. Do I have what it takes. Is this possible for me?

Or, you become the over achiever. The one who refuses to lose. So you buckle down and commit to making this goal happen no matter the cost. You work longer hours, skip meals, ignore your kids and refuse to let anything else battle for your attention. You've got a goal to reach! Why? Why do you want to reach that goal? So you can spend more time with the people you love. The same people you're stepping on and ignoring in order to reach the goal in the first place.

Either way, the end game sucks!

My problem with traditional goal-setting

One you've been around awhile- 4+ years and you have process and systems in place, this kind of goal setting works really well! But up to that point, you don't know what you don't know. There are too many unknown variables at stake.

First of all, you don't know how much time and effort it's "really" going to take to achieve your goals. So if you don't know, how can you plan for it? You can't. Not in the traditional sense, anyway. Second, you can't control other people's decisions. Business is a 2-way street. You have to present the right offer, to the right client at the right time. But then THEY have to decide to buy.

What you can control is how you navigate those unknowns. And the one thing you can plan for and guarantee is that you'll continue to learn and grow and improve!

The Mindset Hack

You can set intentions instead of goals where you're measure progress and momentum rather than outcome. This is where you look back on your journey and celebrate your progress instead of looking ahead and punishing yourself for not reaching the goal. 

These intentions aren't annual. They are to be set either monthly or quarterly. But no more than that! A lot can change in 90 days! And when you detach yourself from the "how" and "when" constraints of traditional goals, and instead open yourself up to the opportunities the universe is trying send you, a lot will change!

This is true for everyone in every stage of business, but is even more prominent if you're in your first couple of years in business, because during that time, you're constantly shifting and growing. You are learning what works and what doesn't.

What's the difference between a goal and an intention?

A goal is something you want to do or accomplish. It's something you check off your to-do list. Done. Next? These are the things that look good on a resume.

Intentions connect you to the person you want to be. These are the things that make you proud. These are the things that people will make a powerful eulogy.

Am I suggesting you completely forget about biz goals? No!

But when you sit down to set them, I want you to hack into that old way of thinking and interrupt the pattern. Resist the urge to fill your planner up with a huge list of "to-do's" and "things to accomplish"

Instead, ask yourself,

• What do I want to accomplish in the next 30, 60 or 90 days?
• How do I want to show up?
• Will this grow me as a person? How?
• What will it mean if it doesn't work out?
• How will I benefit even if it doesn't work out as planned?
• Am I allowing myself an exit strategy in case this isn't my thing?
• Will I love and respect myself no matter what?

These questions are the beginning of beautiful intention setting because they connect you to the WHY instead of the how or when.

With goals, we tend to get super attached to the outcome- we have a paint a picture in our heads of what we want to happen and slap a due date on it and then put our blinders on as we put pedal to the medal to make it happen.

Whereas, with intentions, we detach from that outcome and connect to the why- the "real" purpose of the goal. And find comfort in knowing that we will accomplish our goals. Our desires will manifest, but instead of planning the "how" we become open to options and instead of demanding a due date, we open ourselves up to flexibility and faith knowing that it will happen when the time is right.

Doing this releases us from the desperate vibe that repels abundance and connects us to the high vibe of positive expectation.

And when we do this, we learn that we can be successful, no matter what happens or when it happens- and we can have that desired feeling- whether or not the actual goal is achieved as we originally expected.

When we detach from the outcome, we experience success as a journey and not a destination.

You've got a business to grow, clients to attract and money to make. That starts with getting intentional about your business goals and your mindset!

Let's Chat More

If you want to dig a little deeper and set some serious intentions for the new year, I'm leading an intention-setting workshop next week. It's LIVE and it's completely free- my gift to you. Because I love you and want you to be successful this year! Head on over to the Facebook Group and RSVP for the event.

[bctt tweet="You've got a business to grow, clients to attract and money to make. That starts with getting intentional about your business goals and your mindset!." username="tonyarineer"]

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• 1:01 Once you see how well a hack works you will end up repeating it or continuously using it until it is no longer temporary and it is your new normal.
• 4:58 This goal defines you. Accomplishing this goal means something. It means that you will have reached success, you will be an accomplished person. You will be something. You will be enough. That's what you tell yourself.
• 7:05 Your mind doesn't know the difference between it happening in real time or imaginary time. We've talked about this where you can visualize something coming true and it feels like it's happening now. So the simple fact of visualizing your goals way in advance feels really good. You're starting to feel accomplished already and you haven't taken action yet.
• 9:14 If you feel like you failed after a day of not getting through your to do list, how does it feel at the end of the year?
• 18:10 We take so much on and if people aren't buying or if the people right in front of us in our immediate space aren't totally into our product or service or offer at this exact time, we internalize it. We're like "oh that must mean something about us. That must mean I'm not valuable or not enough. It must mean they don't like me, they don't like what I'm offering." But there are so many other variables and they aren't about you at all.
• 21:41 Detachment is difficult. It is a practice. It is an art form and I want you to practice it. I want you to get better at it because it makes life and business so much easier. Oh my gosh, does the abundance flow in.
• 22:11 Open yourself up to the opportunities that the universe is constantly sending you. You don't even see them. They're in your peripheral vision.
• 28: 10 With intentions, we detach from the outcome and attach to the why - the real purpose of the goal - and find comfort in knowing that we will accomplish those goals. Our desires will manifest, but instead of planning the how we become open to options. Instead of demanding a due date, we open ourselves to flexibility and faith knowing that it will happen when the time is right.
• 29:54 When we detach ourselves from the outcome, we experience success as a journey and not a destination.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Join me for a free LIVE Intention Setting Workshop next week.

Reserve your copy of my upcoming book, The Mindset Switch.

Hang out with us inside our free Facebook Community- where every day is a party!