Are you achieving your goals? If you are like most people the answer will be, “some of them, yes!” And some of them “No”
I always have goals. And they are usually about achieving a certain ‘result or outcome’ And with goals like that you either achieve the goal or you don’t. Which can be uplifting and rewarding if you do! And fairly brutal if you don’t.
But there is a middle ground, and that is where the focus should be. The middle ground is more about momentum and progress. Let me explain.
Essentially, there are 2 types of goals.
First you have ‘Outcome’ goals. The ‘outcome goal’ is the end result goal. So for example, in a hairdressing context that might be something like, ‘achieving a certain amount in ‘Take Home’ retail sales’.
And, the second type of goal you have is, ‘Process’ goals. And ‘process goals’ are how the ‘Outcome’ or end result goal will be achieved.
So let’s look at some practical examples…
‘To lose 5Lb in the next 6 weeks’. Is an outcome goal. Whereas, ‘To Run 3 miles, 3 times per week for the next 6 weeks’. Is a process goal. Or another example…
And in a hairdressing context…
‘10 units of ‘Take home’ sales a week’. Is an outcome goal. Whereas, ‘Educate every client about the products I use on their hair’. Is a process goal. And…
‘Weekly pre-bookings of 75%’. Is an outcome goal. And, ‘Give every client a reason to pre-book’. Is a process goal. I’m sure you get the idea.
Achieving your ‘Outcome or Results goals’ is dependant on achieving your ‘Process goals!’ You can’t get to the ‘result’ without the ‘process’.
The ‘Outcome Goal or Result’ is the culmination of the processes that get you to the result you wanted.
Achieving the ‘Outcome goal is an event, it’s the ‘Yahoo moment’ when you have achieved something.
But it’s the hard work, the ‘process’ that makes the event happen… or not!
You are 100% in control of the process, you either do them or you don’t. And whether or not you achieve the ‘Outcome Goal’ is the result.
When you start to look at goals this way, you realise that setting up a system for doing the process is more important than choosing a goal.
Everyone wants to make progress. And there is only one way to do it and that is to do the work! If we use the analogy of getting fitter and stronger it’s to do the repetitions.
Whether you are talking about getting fit or increasing your pre-bookings or growing your color percentage. Do the hard yards consistently and you will move towards the result you want.
So focus on the process, and you'll get results. If you ignore the goals and build the habits instead, the outcomes will be there anyway.
Often when people don’t achieve the outcome they wanted it's because they are not focusing on the steps needed to make the ‘Outcome’ a reality.
So, “Focus on the process and the results will take care of themselves”
So, this is what I want you to do. Choose a RESULTS goal, any RESULTS goal. Write it down. And then write down 5 things, meaning 5 PROCESS goals that you need to do to achieve that result and focus on them. Not the goal!