About the Author – Coach Bill Foss – I’m Bill Foss, I call myself ‘The Catalyst for Change’.

You've taken the first step out on that ledge, and need to find the courage and motivation to take the next one. By making them specific, meaningful, and buildable, I will show you how to set and achieve your biggest real estate goals. How to Set Goals You Can Wrap Your Mind Around I've been at the bottom of the mountain, staring up at what seem to be impossible goals. Unscalable terrain. Your goals are lofty, of course they are. You want to build the best real estate business in your area, and you want to be at the top of the mountain today. 1.) Take the First Step: It might sound like this goes without saying. But consider how many people wind up at the gym in March to get started on their "New Year's Resolutions". This is because the goals we set for ourselves can feel monumental and impossible. Fear is a human instinct. Our natural inclination is to protect ourselves from the stinging disappointment of failure. This is why there are several groups of supportive fellow climbers to consult with. You can find them across social media on LinkedIn and Facebook. Or you may be lucky enough to have them in your life already. But don't try to go it alone - every entrepreneur should have a spotter. And every realtor is an entrepreneur. No matter how you do it, you need to take that first step. You need to summon the willingness to test the limits of what you think you can do, to find out how far away you are. And because without beginning the journey, you can’t see the next step. 2.) Set Specific Goals: The most important key to setting and achieving your goals is the ability to envision them. For example, you may want to increase your personal or team sales in 2021. This is a fantastic goal - but hazy in its current format. Instead, you want to break the strategy down into monthly and weekly targets. You'll then want to list each key performance indicator that is crucial to this goal. Next, you need to determine how much you need to increase these. This works for lead generation, number of daily sales calls, and weekly listing appointments. Then do the same for your next goal. A vague goal is like a mirage. Breaking it down into bite-sized increments gives you a clear view of the mountain peak and a firm footing with which to climb. Make Goals Measurable: You need to gauge where you are relative to your ultimate goals. Say you're looking to improve on business generated from social media. Your specific target here could be to increase your number of LinkedIn posts. Great! But the only way to know if you're succeeding is to place a marker where you currently stand. Then you will be able to measure your improvement. These are performance metrics, also called Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). They exist for every worthy goal ever imagined. The first step makes the second step possible. Because if you never begin the journey, you won't know where you're starting from. How to Set Meaningful Goals: So how do you find the motivation to take the first step? Here, we get down to the crux of that motivational challenge. If your goals don't drive you, you're going to procrastinate. And if they don’t drive you, are they really goals worth having? First, start by translating your mental pictures into words. Then follow these important instructions: Write down every goal.Vet your goals: Run each one past a valued mentor or experienced friend. These people can serve as a sounding board for the rationality and attainability of your goals. Select a manageable core list of 1-3 goals to focus on. This way you won’t get overwhelmed. Break these goals down into long-term and short-term.Take the First Step! How can you tell that you've set a meaningful goal? It will pretty much consume your life.You’ll rise before the dawn in the middle of winter, and stay up till sunset in July. You may have heard the term "everything in balance". This is a very worthy motto. The point is that you will want to focus all your time on a meaningful goal. And the time you put into it will be enjoyable. How to Achieve Your Meaningful Goals You now have a clear pathway and compass to guide you along the way. The rest of it comes down to attitude. Challenge Yourself: You can be an exceptionally adequate REALTOR® by doing the same thing you've always found to be effective. Some people are happy with adequate, but if you're reading this, you probably aren't one of them. So if your goal is to become a market leader, you need to reach outside of your comfort zone. If you are a high touch, people-person, you might shy away from our new virtual way of life. If you are the creative type, you may avoid doing the financial planning aspect necessary to lasting success. A natural introvert may love the design and planning aspects of real estate. But they may find the hands-on people side nerve-wracking, and therefore shy away. The confidence gained by conquering these fears is as much an adrenaline rush as reaching the mountain peak. But it's going to take courage, and a lot of resiliency. Resiliency: When you take that first step out of your comfort zone, you likely won't succeed right away. Or maybe you will - like my experience this morning. But most often, you'll need to be impervious to setbacks. A lot of this comes from experience. With time, you will grow a thicker skin. But the growth spurts will be painful, so here are some tips on how to cherish the whole journey: Channel Your Inner Yogi: Learning how to manage anxiety and stress is the key to overcoming challenges. Take the time to learn deep breathing and mindfulness techniques. Pencil exercise into your daily schedule. And set aside time to relax - it's okay to leave that type A personality at the office. Learn From Your Mistakes: Cherish the learning opportunity. Go back and dissect your mistakes. Analyzing what went wrong will allow you to fix it for the next time. Keep Perspective: Learn to accept the things you cannot change - such as the current economic downturn. And cultivate the courage to change the things you can - like your reaction to set-backs. Practice cognitive restructuring to reshape the way you think about, and respond to challenges. It’s important to ask yourself if temporarily failing to achieve an incremental goal is really the end of your career. In all likelihood, the answer is no. In most situations, you will be able to rebound and reset. Take the first step, and continue to take the next positive step every day. You'll be nearing the peak of success before you know it. https://youtu.be/iJgdKEidtJU In case you can not view this video here, please click the link below to view How to Set and Achieve Your Goals? on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/iJgdKEidtJU

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