by Daniel C. Lewis

Recently, I saw a Facebook post written by one of my good friends, Christine. She posted that she was attending a high school state championship football game in Michigan. Her post seemed to indicate that she was very excited to be there for her son’s high school football team game. She was posting frequent updates to the game which at times seemed to be very closely matched. But then she posted the final score, 55-33 in favor of the other team.

This really made me think. If we were to put each player from each team on a scale and weigh them, each team would probably weigh about the same. If we were to take each team to a relay track and had them race each other (of course some players would be faster than others) but overall the teams would come out pretty much even. If we were to have each team go into the weight room at a gym and lift weights against each other we would probably get the same results. If all these factors come out the same then what gives a team or a person the edge that gives them a dominating win in a major game? Both teams at the beginning had the will to win. I think the award-winning Coach Bobby Knight said it best:

“The will to succeed is important, but what’s more important is the will to prepare.”

Bobby Knight also said:

“Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win.”

This is why I think the most important thing you can do as an entrepreneur in any field is to prepare to win. The foundation of preparing to win is setting goals. Goal setting is the single most important thing an entrepreneur can do for themselves, their family, and their businesses. Here are four reasons why goal setting is so important:

1. Goals give you a laser-like focus. Goals allow you to zero in on each day’s task with laser precision and weed out wasteful efforts.
2. Goals measure progress. Tracking your progress toward achieving a goal is only possible if you set a goal in the first place.
3. Goals will keep you motivated. It is harder to put off work until the next day if you have a goal (which will include a timeline).
4. Goals help you determine your focus in life. The act of setting goals really forces you to determine what your true loves and wants in life are.

Goal setting involves the development of an action plan designed in order to motivate and guide a person or group toward a goal. Goals are more deliberate than desires and momentary intentions. Therefore, setting goals means that a person has committed thought, emotion, and behavior toward attaining the goal.

How much money do you think you lost over the last 12 months from not hitting your goals?

How much time have you lost with your family from goals and standards that would give you more family time and peace of mind?

Are you setting your yearly, monthly, or weekly goals too low?

Where would you be today if you were to hit the goals you set for yourself last year?

If goal setting is important to you click here to join us on our next goal-setting webinar and start your 2023 off right.

Other articles by the author

• Mastering Anti-Money Laundering Online Training for Notary Entrepreneurs
• What should Notary Entrepreneurs do in the First Quarter of the Year
• Becoming Successful in Business: The Mindset, Habits, and Strategies That Matter Most
• What to Look for When Choosing a Notary Coach or Notary Mentor
• The Top 5 Risks for Notaries in Handling Sovereign Citizen Documents

Daniel C. Lewis resides in Carmel, IN.  He was named 2010 Notary of the Year by the National Notary Association.  He was also named in the same year an Honorary Secretary of State by the Indiana Secretary of State.  Daniel is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Lewis Notary & Training Services Inc. Daniel is an entrepreneur, writer, video editor, and Keynote Speaker.