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Are You Where You Want To Be In 2014?

Tracy Royce
3 min read

It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that we were clinking champagne glasses at midnight, conjuring ideas to make 2014 bigger and better than years prior and setting goals for a bright new year.

It wasn’t yesterday,  it was 128 days ago, or 18 weeks, and 2 days. That leaves us 236 days, or 5,675 hours to check off the rest of what we hoped to accomplish in this year.

How far along are you?

Checking In

Now that we’re 35% through the year, it’s a great time to check in with what you expected to be aligning for 2014.

Are your sales/acquisition goals to low? Too high? Completely forgotten at this point?

Or are you aiming for smaller things, like, expanding your network, getting your first deal, or becoming more educated?

Tally what you’ve actually accomplished against what you had projected, and let’s tweak it accordingly.

Or if you’ve completely fizzled out already, let’s revive the spirit of winning.

Adjust your plans, but still plan to win. You’ve gotta roll with the punches. (now THAT’s a tweet-able!)

A simple 20 minute “meeting” with yourself every month could do wonders to keep you on track.

Take heart: No path to accomplishment is rigid; there’s tiny calculations, mis-steps, delays and tweaks along the way.

Goal Setting Is Hogwash, But….

I love writing goals down, but like you I assume, I dislike the sting that comes from realizing an expectation lost. Studies show that those that write down their goals are more likely to achieve them, but it also can play tricks on our minds if we don’t meet them exactly when we expect to.

So how are we supposed to measure without judgment?

Calculate among the chaos?

Frankly, I think it’s just as important to realize what has happened inside the time you’ve been working towards your goals, as it is to not be discouraged if you haven’t reached them in the time frame you had expected.

We can only control so much… so are you “failing” if your scheme is off-set by a life occurrence?

Sudden change in the economy?

Arguably, no. Your dreams are never really lost until you give up on them.

I would encourage you to write them down, but not be married to the exact date that they happen. Some happen years after we hope, others can arrive much sooner than we anticipated. The important thing is to keep them in your mind and continue to work towards them.

Related: Quality Over Quantity: The Truth About Real Estate Goal Setting

The Value Of You

If you’re stuck in a rut, not finding deals, not closing on properties or unable to break through your plateau, the goal should perhaps be inverted.

Meaning, let’s say you’ve set a goal to “double my income from last year.”

Ok, great, but have you doubled the value that you bring to the marketplace?

Doubled your marketing outreach?

Have you done what it would take to improve yourself, your business, and your systems to be able to attract and accomplish whatever your goal is?

You could be setting yourself up for disappointment because you haven’t cultivated what/who it will take to reach them!

Related: Your Results Are Solid? OK, But Are They What They Could, Should Be?

So often we look the accomplished people around us and wish that upon ourselves, without realizing the grueling work they’ve been through.

Even overnight sensations typically have been working 7-10 years to become famous.

Let’s say you set a goal based on seeing a very successful real estate investor in your area… “I really wish to be a successful real estate investor. I’m going to buy 10 houses this year than!”

Is that even feasible, from where you are, who you know, what you have, and what you know?

If not, the next goal on your list should be to get in an uncomfortable position to create the growth you’ll need as a person and professional. Only then will you realize that your goals, no matter how big or small, can become actionable and real to you.

Most real estate investors are money-driven and numbers-oriented, which helps when penciling out expectations and projections for the year. It takes revisiting them and tweaking them though, to stay on the path to make your goals a reality.

What do you think?

Are you “on track” so far this year?? If not, what have you done to adjust? Leave a comment below with your answer.

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.