The Importance of Aligning Your Personal Goals With Your Business Goals: Part 3 of a Series

Would you like to be sure that your personal goals are consistent with your business goals? (Yes) (No)

You might have certain personal goals that are, or become, divergent to your business goals.

For instance, let's say that you set clear personal goals to compete in the Iron Man Triathlon in Hawaii. Obviously, to compete in an arduous event like this you not only have to train rigorously, but you also have to qualify by competing in a number of prior triathlons, placing high enough in these events to earn a bid fro the Iron Man in Hawaii.

At the same time, let's say you are married with two kids, and you have set some very aggressive professional goals, which include starting your own business and making it profitable within a 2-3 year time horizon.

Given the fact that the average new entrepreneur puts in 60-70 hours per week and you have family responsibilities to consider, chances are you will experience major goal conflicts in your life when it comes to competing in triathlons. Something has to give.

Do you give up your sports goals, your business goals, or your family?

These are tough decisions.

They all boil down to making sure that your personal and professional goals are compatible.

The process of setting synchronous personal and business goals speaks to the importance of setting a clear and workable life strategy. The process of creating a life strategy includes the homogenization over time of personal and business goals. Unless you unify your goals there will be goal conflict, which fosters turmoil in your life.

For the best results, you need to start by creating a life strategy that makes sense to you in terms of satisfying all of your personal and professional aspirations, leaving quality time for your family, and fitting everything into a reasonable time schedule.

In general, people today work too hard, play too hard, and neglect their health and rest time. It is truly a challenge to fit everything in and lead a balanced life.

At the end of the day, at the end of a career, if all you have to show for all of your hard work and hectic schedule is a large net worth while your family never saw you, and your health suffered terribly because you drove yourself too hard, you have to ask yourself, 'Was it really worth it?' Take it from expert workaholics, balance your life, plan your life, and enjoy your life -you can take happiness and love with you, money you cannot.

Keep in mind, there are always trade-offs in this process of goal setting and life strategy building. It is important that you weigh all your options in order to make choices that support a healthy and happy life for you and your family.

Yes, it may take a change in mind-set, career, lifestyle, or even location to balance your life, still be productive, and achieve the goals that you want to achieve.

About The Author

Charles and Holly Egner are veteran entrepreneurs. They have trained, coached, and mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs. Their last entrepreneurial venture sold for just under $400 million in 1999. BuildOnYourDreams.com was founded to help aspiring entrepreneurs build the business of their dreams. Free Teleseminar and eCourse, visit http://www.BuildOnYourDreams.com today.

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Halftime: Re-evaluating Yearly Goals