The 5 P's to Achieving Your Goals
As glow getters, we desire to remain committed to achieving our goals. One thing that happens occasionally though in our quest to achieve a new goal is we forget the path that led to achieving goals we’ve crushed in the past. It’s so important to keep your ‘receipts’ to help motivate you and remind you that you’ve achieved goals before, so you can do it again!
I was in the hair salon today getting ready for The Momference, and 5 P’s were downloaded in my mind while I was sitting under the dryer. I quickly jotted them down on my phone and said I have to share this with the glow getter gang. You see I was begin to fret about moderating tonight’s panel. I begin to have a moment of self doubt and imposter syndrome. But then I was reminded that I belong in the room and have all the tools needed to do this. Then these 5 P’s to achieving our goals came to mind. One of my goals has been more speaking opportunities, so moderating tonight’s panel is so in alignment with that.
No matter what the goal is, I hope these 5 steps help you along, just like they have helped me consistently:
Position
Once you have a your goal in mind, you have to get in position. You can’t just sit on the sidelines. You have to get in the game, and get the tools, skills and experience you need. Get ready. Stay ready. A personal example related to my goal of obtaining more speaking opportunities was first gaining more public speaking experience. This has been years in the making from hosting events, to IG lives, later on my podcast and then years later speaking opportunities came. I had to first get in position and gain experience. Remember, you have to pass the first floor before you get to the 6th.
Pitch
After you get in position, don’t be afraid to pitch yourself. Waiting for the opportunities to just fall in your lap is a huge mistake. Get comfortable with hearing no, and get comfortable with hearing yes. You don’t want to win the award for being the world’s best kept secret, and you shouldn’t assume everyone knows your goals and desires. Ask for what you want! A personal example of this is I was invited to be a town hall moderator at the 2020 Momference after completing a speaker application. However, the conference was cancelled due to the pandemic. I was also asked to speak at the 2022 Women’s Wellness, but I was pregnant. Instead of assuming both organizations would extend a second invitation to me, I circled back this year to both organizations to see if they had a need for speakers, and guess what…the answer was yes. If I had said nothing, those opportunities may not have presented themselves. So again, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want, as it could be a win for everyone involved.
Prayer
If you are a person of faith, be intentional with your prayers. I believe God hears and answers our prayers when they are in alignment with his will. As we make big moves, we need to have bold prayers! I don’t believe they have to be super elaborate prayers either. An example of a prayer I pray before I have to speak is: “Have your way God. Less of me, more of you. Give me the words to say. Help me to guide the conversation and to speak with clarity. Help me to engage with the audience and them with me.”
Prepare
Now, you have to prepare for what you prayed for. God requires work and not just faith (read that again). God is not Aladdin! When we do our part, I believe God will then do his. An example with the goal I’ve used is reviewed the panel questions ahead of time. I also take time to think through potential openings and transitions so my energy is high and the conversation flow wells. Now in many cases of speaking, winging it works in a sense so you aren’t scripted. However, you should still prepare regardless by being familiar with your topic and whatever the ask is from the host. There are other cases where winging it won’t work, like sports, a presentation with slides, etc. Remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Proceed
Now that you are in position, have pitched, prayed and prepared, you should proceed boldly. Yes, fear and nervousness is normal. But always remind yourself if God called you to it, he will see you through it. This is literally what I’m doing today, and I’m confident the panel will go well. Wish me luck y’all!
I hope these 5 steps help as you get in position to achieve the next goal on your list. Note, if all 5 steps aren’t applicable to the goal at hand, use the ones that are and ignore the rest. Share one of your goals in the comments.
Have a glowing day!