It’s 2022! Yay!! Let’s make resolutions! Let’s make plans! Let’s make this the best year of our lives! Right? Well, as a founder the pressure to make every new year better than last is undeniable! You have a responsibility towards your investors, your customers, and your employees. But hear me out for a second. What if we redesigned goals that truly made a holistically incremental change in yourself and your productivity.

I want to share 6 things I have experimented with for the last 2 years after I hit burnout in 2019 after 15 years of hustle which has made a significant difference in my creativity, mental health, and overall growth.

Make sure not to lose steam. Goals need a lot of passion and energy and that is why start with smaller ones. Go with monthly, quarterly, and then annual goals. There is a reason why many people can’t stick to their annual resolutions. So instead make a 7-day goal to meditate for 5 minutes. Achieve that and then go to the next big goal like scheduling 3 partner meetings a week for a month.
“When you wake up, think about winning the day. Don't worry about a week or a month from now -- just think about one day at a time. If you are worried about the mountain in the distance, you might trip over the molehill right in front of you. Win the day!”― Drew Brees, Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity
Make sure they are in your control. This will be on the vision board of most founders: Increase user base by 20%. Right? Now I am not saying that don’t have the aim to increase your user base but the problem with this goal is that MANY things out of this will be out of your control. You can’t guarantee growth. Can you? How about we make goals like:
1. Have 3 user customer calls a week. This will increase your retention.
2. Create quarterly social media campaigns. This will increase your brand awareness.
3. Have monthly strategy sessions with the product team to create user-friendly features. This will improve your onboarding process.
Goals need to be achievable by YOU! They should not be dependent on external factors outside of your control.
***The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe. - Simon Sinek***
Make sure they bring incremental change. Ask ‘Why’ are you fixated on achieving this goal? Did you find it on someone’s social media page or an inspirational person in your life suggested this to you or maybe your competitor is doing something along the same lines. Goals need to be customized for YOUR LIFE! So really honestly ask yourself, what incremental increase will these bring in my life?
Make sure to prune. Yes quality is definitely better than quantity. Please don’t give yourself a bucket list. You are not on a mission to do as many things as possible. You are here to live a little and on your terms! So prune that goalpost and list! Start with one and see how you feel before jumping on the full speed engine.
Make sure to keep it in your sacred circle. When you are changing, evolving, learning, do it in secret but along with your sacred circle. The sacred circle is like an accountability support but everyone in the circle is focused on different goals and the circle cheers them on, support them on dark days and gives them space on exhausting days.
“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”– Albert Einstein
Make sure to add love, kindness, and grace. YOU ARE NOT IN A RACE! Remember that! So when designing your goals, give yourself enough time to achieve them. You are a learner and need time to adapt, understand, and live this experience. Take that time. Savor this journey.
***Not every goal will look and feel the same. Tolerance for disappointment, determination, and a belief in self are the heart of hope. - Brené Brown***

I hope you all take some time this week to practice some of these if they are aligned with your vision of your startup, life, and vision. Here is a quick exercise for you all to do this week to start thinking about your goals:

Sit in a comfortable spot! Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through your nose and a deep breath out through your mouth. I want you to imagine yourself walking to a door. When you open this door, remember, you will be seeing yourself in the future. December 20th, 2022 to be precise. Before you open the door, I want you to take another deep breath in through your nose and a deep breath out through your mouth. Keep your eyes closed and when you are ready, I want you to open the door. Remember, we are only spectators here. Don’t ask questions and don’t try to control what you see. Just see, observe and go without any judgment.

It is said, as adults we start losing our accepting power, our nature not to judge. So as you open this door, I will request you to practice discernment and just see things without love or hate.

Notice the room you just entered. What is it? A party? A family room? A beach house? Where are you in the room? What are you doing? Who are you surrounded by? Now walk up to yourself and ask: How do you feel? What did you do in 2022?

Listen to what your future self tells you. Just observe and listen. What milestones are they sharing? What new things were introduced in 2022? And notice how it makes you feel? Happy, brings a smile to your face? Does it relax you a little? Maybe things will find a way.

When you are ready, let’s go out of this room and close it. As you are closing your room, take one last deep breath in through your nose and a deep breath out through your mouth. When you are ready, open your eyes.

Now take a journal and write down the things you saw and listened to in that room. And remember, whenever you are lost, this room is always waiting for you. Right within you. You are Infinite, dreamer.

I would like to end with just this writing by Brianna Weist:

Milestones are markers that you’re evolving—they do not create emotional fulfillment in the way we think they will. This confusion is why with the dawn of each new year, our resolutions are to change our lives rather than to change ourselves. But what if we made goals that were more about loving what we have rather than chasing what we don’t? What if we realized that it’s what we were seeking in the first place? It’s something to consider—if not even try just a little. - Brianna Wiest

Happy Building! And let’s welcome a new chapter in 2022.

Love and hugs,

Arjita

Founder Hour with Arjita

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