PowerLiving with Kimberlee Langford
PowerLiving with Kimberlee Langford
Transform Your Life and Career: Setting and Achieving Stretch Goals
We are - or we do become who we intend to be. Setting goals that are founded on your values will give you the power you need to dig in when you fall short or miss a timeline.
As we approach a new year, this episode guides you on a transformative journey of self-discovery, equipping you with the tools to set and achieve stretch goals. We delve into the art of separating your self-value from the outcomes, handling disappointments with curiosity rather than judgment, and the power of aligning your ambitions with your personal values. Be prepared to redefine your relationship with the concept of success and unlock a more rewarding personal and professional life.
Ever wondered how an entrepreneurial mindset could revolutionize your career trajectory, even if you're an employee? Well, in this episode, we are peeling back the layers on how to take control of your ambitions and steer your career path. Uncover strategies to establish firm boundaries, aim high, and avoid underselling yourself. Equip yourself with the know-how to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and take charge of your life. So, buckle up and get ready to elevate your personal and professional life to levels you have only dared to dream of. Let's march into the new year armed with the tools and mindset to make it fulfilling. After all, it's your journey, and you should be the one leading it.
Hey, hey, friends, it's Kimberly here. A few thoughts for you today as we wrap up November I can't believe it and we head into the last month of the year. Usually around this time people are starting to think about goals for the new year. Hopefully you are.
Speaker 1:I am a firm believer in setting goals and setting your own targets, and here's the great thing about that when you have a mindset of a desire to continually improve, you set your own targets, and I'm gonna encourage you to set targets that are like a stretch. Don't tie yourself to the outcome, right? So there's some different thoughts out there that you know. There's a dogma out there that says don't expect anything and you won't be disappointed. I think that's a weenie mindset. No disrespect intended, but we should have high expectations of ourselves and others, yet not tie ourselves to the outcome, meaning that when ourselves or others fall short of those expectations, you know our job isn't to be disappointed but to be curious and non-judgmental. That's how we foster an environment that allows for continual growth in a positive way, right? So that's my challenge for you, and here's the benefit when you set your own targets. And I gotta have to tell you, in my entire life and in my career, I have never had anybody set a target for me that was higher than what I set for myself, and that's a great thing. It takes a lot of pressure off If you're always trying to have to hit a target that somebody else sets for you. Well, who the heck is in charge of you? And I have a firm belief and it's interesting because now all of our kids are grown and now conversations around the dinner table are very exciting and stimulating but you know, as much of our adult lives, much of our lives, as we spend working, eking out a living, doesn't it make sense to find something that you can get excited about?
Speaker 1:And when you can foster an entrepreneurial mindset and you can shift your mindset a little bit, instead of being an employee, work for yourself? Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that you can't be an employee, but even as an employee, when you have an entrepreneurial mindset, it means you have a goal, and the great thing about that is it can put you in the driver's seat when you're looking for a work home, a job, for instance. You know, I've always felt like I was interviewing people hiring me as much as they were interviewing me. When you find a company that supports your goals and your passion and what you want to bring in the world and in the marketplace, in your community, in your industry. When you can hitch yourself to a company that you can fully support, that matches your ideals, your goals, your values, then that really frees you to bring your genius, if you will, to that company. That's a great feeling and that's a thing in a family right. It's really important to be picky and choosy when you're picking a spouse. You want to find somebody who has similar mindsets, goals, values, drives that you do. Then you can really open yourself up to being vulnerable, being open, being creative, bringing your very best into that relationship, and I think that's really important.
Speaker 1:Now I've had conversations in some companies where I worked with one company one time they definitely did not want to refer to their workforces, their work family. You don't call your teammates family. That's highly inflammatory, because families are awful. That's very sad, you know, in a family environment. That doesn't mean that we allow people to walk on us. That doesn't mean that we allow people to abuse us. You can leave a family relationship just like you can a work environment, and you don't have to let people walk on you. You can be kind and soft and supportive and still not you know, not allow people to take advantage of you. That is not helpful for you or for others, right? We don't help other people when we allow them to disvalue us or to abuse us or to take advantage of us. That does not help you or the other person, right? Whether that's in a family or a company.
Speaker 1:I think it's really important to find those similarities, find where there's a synergy of values and where some place where you can get excited to bring your best. So I'm going to encourage you as you think about your goals for the new year. Are you there? Do you need to be open to maybe some new opportunities? How can you open yourself up and allow your employer to get the very best out of you? I think what you're going to find is as you bring your best, that really feels good at the end of the day. And if you feel like you have to protect yourself from your employer and not bring your best, I'm going to tell you you're in the wrong place and you need to look elsewhere. Same thing in a relationship. If you feel like you have to protect yourself in a relationship, then definitely you need to learn how to set some boundaries, and you might need some professional help to learn how to do that in a compassionate and caring and a sort of way that's good for you and others.
Speaker 1:But truly, as we look into this new year and you're setting targets for yourself, aim high, don't sell yourself short. What is it that you would be doing for yourself or for others if money or time or resources were no object? And how can you take a little step in that in the new year Maybe? For instance, I have some. I have a couple really lofty goals and I have to tell you I have never in my entire life ever hit a goal or a target in the timeline I originally set, but I have always hit my targets. That's the beautiful thing about goal setting. The goal and the thing that you're working for doesn't change. If it does, it means you have the wrong goal, and that's okay. You can change that. Now the time line can absolutely be adjusted and that's not a bad thing either. Remember that as we hit, it's not usually the goal itself that we're looking for, but it's what that goal brings.
Speaker 1:I've had some people tell me well, I wanna hit a certain income. But my question is always well, why? Well, I just wanna make more money. Well, here I'll give you a dollar. Does that cut it for you? No, you have to have a firm target and you have to know why. What does that represent for you? It's usually not the amount of money and it's usually not the title and it's usually not the number on the scale. If maybe, your goal is weight loss, right, it's what that represents. A healthy weight means you have energy and vitality, strength. You can do the things you wanna do. Your joints won't ache anymore, right? Diabetes might go away If you earn the income that you want. Maybe that means now you have the freedom to pursue your education, or to pay for a child's education, or to pay off debt or to learn a new skill. It's usually what that represents.
Speaker 1:So I'm gonna encourage you if you're setting your target. Set a target, ask yourself why, until you can't get any deeper, and that's usually what you're looking for. Same thing when people hit targets for you. Well, first of all, don't let other people set your targets. You set your own target. You are your own boss. At the end of our lives, we're all gonna stand before our maker and account for ourselves, not for others, we're gonna make an accounting for ourselves. So that's my thought for you today. So you be the boss of yourself. Set your targets, aim high, expect the very best of yourself, be gentle with yourself when you fall short and don't give up on your dreams. And have a great and prosperous new year. Bye, friends.