[Lesson 2] Now, focus on ONE main thing
You have your heart + deepest desires + core dreams right there, in front of you. Keep handy of all the amazing notes you took; they’ll serve you as motivation when you feel a little down, and as inspiration when you’re not sure what your next step should be.
Now it’s time to pick only one of all the big and little dreams you wrote down because focusing on one thing helps you achieve it faster and better. Otherwise, all your energy would be dissipated, and your efforts would go to waste.
The best way to pick only one thing? Making sure this dream:
- …is going to help you achieve other goals
- …is important to you, you care about it, and it comes from your heart
- …is something you want to focus on this season of your life
As you’re on this course, probably, your main dream and main goal right now is to create your business and make it profitable. If that’s the case, then the whole course will help you achieve that goal from scratch and step-by-step.
But, saying ‘my goal is creating my fashion business and make it profitable’ is not enough. I’m sure you’ve heard about SMART goals; this term is everywhere on the internet, and within most productivity and business books – that’s because this approach works really well.
So, now that you picked your main goal, make it smart:
- S is for Specific. Make your goal as specific as you can. Who is involved? What do you want? How do you want it? Why do you want it? Where will it be done? Which are the requirements?
- M is for Measurable. How will you track your progress? How will you now your goal is accomplished? The goal has to be quantifiable. If you can’t measure it, you can’t reach it. So, make sure there are numbers in your goal that can be measured, like money earned per month, number of clients, or number of sales.
- A is for Attainable. Is your goal realistic? Is it too big or too small? If it’s too big, break it down into several small goals and pick one. If it’s too small, ask yourself how you can make it better. Your goal must be big enough to excite you, but it should also seem possible so you can take it seriously.
- R is for Relevant. Double check if this goal is relevant to your big dream vision, and if it’s important to you.
- T is for Time-Based. What is the deadline of your goal? When should it be finished and completed? Make sure you include a time limit or you’ll put it off forever and ever.
A SMART goal example is this: I want to sell services as a fashion illustrator, and I want to take care of 3 projects per month, and earn $2,000 per month by the 10th of January 2017.
And this: I want to sell fashion illustration prints in my own shop, and I want to sell 2 prints per day at $50 by Christmas.
Pro-Tip: To determine an attainable deadline consider the time you have available per week to work on your goal. We’ll cover more about this in the next step, and you’ll be able to adjust your deadline, but for now know that the hours per week you can devote to your goal are important to set a deadline that is reachable and challenging at the same time. I like to take one main goal per quarter; this is a very good amount of time because it’s big enough to have time to take action, and it’s small enough, so you don’t forget about your goal or get out of track.
Now it’s your turn, write down your main goal and make is SMART. Then imagine + visualize + feel how it would be to reach it!
