Having your own business is signing up for a little crazy in your life, or in some cases a lot of crazy. As an entrepreneur, you know you are part of a very special breed.

It takes a lot to go into business for yourself and even more to stay there. You’ve got to have balls of steel, a strong work ethic, determination, an endless thirst for learning, laser focus, humility, willingness to face your fears, and unshakable belief in yourself – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It also takes smart decisions, successful strategies, and a ton of investment of time, energy and money, and taking risks.

So why do we do it?  As my swim coach would say, if it were easy, everybody would do it! So why us?

• We do it for freedom
• We do it to build something great
• We do it to make a huge difference in people’s lives
• We do it for unlimited potential and unlimited income
• We do it because we are leaders of our communities
• We do it to live our dreams
• We do it because we can’t NOT do it
• We do it because it’s in our blood

You see, even as a coach I can’t give you motivation. No one can, because motivation is intrinsic – it comes from our soul, our desires, the essence of who we are.  Staying connected to your most personal reasons of why you chose to become an entrepreneur is what keeps you going.  On the days when the ride feels a bit too bumpy, hold fast to that.

And, thank you for being bold, being brave, and signing up for a little crazy. You are in good company.

The time has come, my friends, to set your 2012 goal!  Yes, you read that correctly – it’s SINGULAR.  Goal.

Like everything else, there is so much information on how to set goals. Google it and see for yourself. You can categorize them, break them apart, tape them back together, tattoo them on your arm… They even come in acronyms!

• BHAGs – Big Hairy Audacious Goals
• WIGs – Wildly Important Goals
• SMART – Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Timely Goals

If you are overwhelmed, bored to tears, or simply don’t know what to do when it comes to goals, you’ll like this tip.

Goal setting made super simple:

Set one goal. That’s it. Decide what is the ONE thing you want most in 2012 that you can really get behind.  Make it a big, hairy, audacious, wildly important and smart goal.  Once you know what it is, you can do whatever you’d like with it – tape it to your bathroom mirror, or shout it from the top of a mountain – just as long as the goal remains the top priority.

FAQs:

Why just one goal?
It creates focus. Focus is the powerful secret ingredient to getting anything done quickly.
What do I do after I achieve the goal?
You set your next goal.
What about all the other areas of my life?
It’s all relevant. If your goal is to be in peak health, your work is going to impact that, positively or negatively.  If your goal is to earn a six-figure income, your health is going to impact your efforts to achieve it.

Remember, how you do anything, is how you do everything.  If you’ve got one wildly audacious, big hair-raising important and smart goal in one area of your life, the rest of your life will naturally have to step-up to make it happen in a great way.

Two steps forward, one step back.  Two steps forward, two steps back.  Two steps forward, one step to the side and kick!

No, this is not the latest dance craze.  The kick at then end is out of sheer frustration!  It’s sometimes how it feels when trying to slay those gremlins in your mind that we call limiting beliefs.  You know the ones – “I don’t know if I’m cut out for this,” and “What if I fail miserably?” and “I’m not good enough.”  Your gremlins might say something different, but we’ve all got a few and they get in the way of growing your business.

We all have days when the stars are aligning for just for us and it feels like that rush when you catch the perfect wave that effortlessly carries you all the way to the beach.  Marketing is easy, customers and clients are coming in droves, and the money keeps flowing.  And then there are the other days… the days, sometimes even weeks that feel like you’re chasing your own tail and your making little progress.  The gremlins have taken over the show and you feel frustrated, angry, and maybe even a bit desperate.

The thing is, you’ve probably been here before.  You’ve done affirmations, gone to therapy, read self-help books, taken seminars and thought you’ve tamed those gremlins once and for all!  Yet, somehow those sneaky monsters have found their way back, and you scream to yourself, “Why does this keep happening to me?!?”

Give yourself a break.  If this limiting belief has been with you for the past 30+ years, it’s not about to go away over night.  You probably picked up these limiting beliefs somewhere in your early childhood and they have taken deep roots.  The good news is, with time and effort you CAN shift beliefs.  Keep doing all those things you are already doing – read books, take classes, do the affirmations.

Also, try this powerful tool:  keep a notepad where you write down all the supporting evidence of your empowering, replacement belief.

Example:
If your old belief is, “I’m new and don’t’ have much experience,” your empowering, replacement belief could be, “I’m educated, trained, and have professional and life experience to bring to the table.”

Your supporting evidence might include things like the following:

• Graduated at the top of my class
• Interned for 6 months at Company ABC
• Proven success with Client Rick and Trisha who rave about me
• Publsihed articles on-line
• Have loyal blog audience

You get the idea – look, search, and keep digging for the evidence.  And when you’re done, look again!  Write something down each day.  This is an on-going process that will allow your new, empowering belief to take up deep roots and push out your old ones.