099. From Dreamer to Doer: How to Commit to What You Most Want & Achieve Your True Goals

Welcome. I am marketing expert and business coach Melissa Kellogg Lueck. And this is the Doing Business Like a Woman podcast, where we are exploring and teaching you how women are reinventing the way business is done and money is made to help you create greater impact and financial freedom one business at a time. Well, hello. Hello, ladies. How's it going? I hope you're enjoying the holiday season. I am getting there. I have been working a lot, so. And that's awesome. I love that. But I haven't really been able to get into the holiday mode yet. And so, I mean, we have our house decorated and I've got most of the gift shopping done and getting there, but lots to finish up. And I am taking some time off between Christmas and New Year's and so there's a lot of loose ends I want to wrap up before then. So I am finishing those things up. The kiddos are in their final day of school before holiday break. And so, yeah, I'm really excited to have some time off. And really, I mean, I, I guess I'll be taking some time off. I will be resting. But also I love, I have so many books I want to read. I love just doing my account, creating my calendars and planning and doing some of that. So I will be thinking about work, truth be told. But that's okay. Like, that is a vacation for me, right? Like just being able to freely think and read and also spend time with the family. And we always are, I should say. I am always taking care of dogs for traveling family members throughout the holidays because I'm usually the one that sticks around. And so we've got a dog here now. And then when she goes home, we'll have another dog coming. And so, yeah, that's what's going on around here. What's going on at your house? What's going on with your year ending up? I just finished up hosting our Envision 2024 goal setting and planning event and it was amazing. I am so pleased with how it turned out. The group of women that we had there was just amazing, so inspiring, just fantastic collection of entrepreneurial women. And it was so awesome. You should be there next time if you weren't there this time. And I think I am going to be hosting it around the first part of the year, an encore performance. So we will certainly let you know about that. Make sure you're on my email list because then you'll get the sneak peek. The first, first dibs. All right, so, but as for today, this is episode 99, you guys. I, I have been. I don't know, it's getting to a hundred episodes on this podcast is just blowing my mind. I don't even know where the last couple of years have gone since I started this podcast. It's just been so fun, and I really have learned how much I love podcasting and teaching, and I want to do more and more and more. And I have so many amazing, exciting plans for the next 100 episodes. And it all starts January 2024, so stay tuned for that. But today, I want to talk to you about moving from dreamer to doer and how to commit to what you most want and achieve your true goals. And so this is something I've been thinking a lot about, not only over the past couple of months as I've been preparing for my envision event and teaching that, but really as I have thought so much about how I can better help my clients, you, me, all of us, to bridge this gap between learning things, knowing what we should be doing, and then actually implementing and doing that all the way to achieving our goals. I see a huge gap between learning how to build a business and getting all the certifications that we think we need and then actually building that business and making the money we want to make. So I've spent a lot of time this year thinking about that, reading, researching, and so that's what I want to continue to teach about. And so this little snippet of it today is committing to goals and achieving them and committing to your future self. So we're going to talk all about that today. I think one of the biggest reasons that we don't achieve our big goals and follow through on the plans that we make is because we're disconnected from them. So what does that mean? So for me, what that means is that we set up these goals. We set up these plans, and we're not really identifying with them. I mean, it's. It's almost like it all gets stuck in our head, right? It's like from the shoulders up, we're setting the goal and making the plan, but from the shoulders down and in our body and really connecting deeply in our heart with what we want to accomplish, that's not happening. So in Dr. Benjamin Hardy's book, who, if you've been following me all this year, you know, I've been studying his work a lot. And in his book, be your future self now, he says that our results show our commitments. And so when I read that, it really stung because a lot of the results that I have created, I don't like Right. So it prompted me to really examine what it is I'm committed to and connected to. Because when I thought back across this year, and I thought I was committed to my big goal for the year, but. And I think on some level, cerebrally, intellectually, I was committed to it, but I wasn't really connected to it and committed to it deeply in my body, in my heart, and. And in the reality of making it happen. Right. So it was really interesting to just think about that. And so. And it prompted me to think, how do I get committed to my. What I most want? Right. And so that's what I really want to talk with you about today. Because when I did this examination myself, I realized that I have some thoughts and stories that my mind has be. My mind is very committed to, but those thoughts and stories were not consistent or aligned with what my goal was. Right. So, in essence, I discovered that I've been more committed to some of these underlying stories and thoughts that I was having that didn't serve me than I was to achieving my goal. And so that is probably why, or one of the reasons why I was not able to achieve my big goal for this year. So that was very revealing to me. Right. And I love. That's why I love setting impossible goals, because it really forces you out of that comfort zone. It really forces you to examine on a deeper level what will help you, you know, eventually get there. But don't worry, I'm fine about it. Right. I'm setting the same goal for 2024, and I have learned and grown so incredibly much in 2023, and I've learned this aspect about committing. And so now I'm really excited to try and work and continue to learn and commit all year long in 2024. And I really believe I'm going to come much, much closer to hitting my big goal, if not achieve it in 2024. So. And I'm going to be using the exact process that I'm going to teach you today all year long and monitoring my own mind and thoughts and redirecting myself back to that commitment each time I get off track. Because you're going to get off track. It's like the Mike Tyson quote, right? We all have a plan until we get punched in the face. So we all have. We're going to make these great plans and goals, and I've made great plans and goals, but then I'm going to get punched in the face, and then what happens with my commitment, right? And so it's always just a matter of Bringing yourself back to the commitment. And so I'm going to teach you how to do that today. So the first step to creating commitment is to really connect to your goals and set goals that you really want. And I like to set one big goal because I want to create as much focus. If you've ever read essentialism by Greg McKean, that that focus is really where we gain traction. And so I love that idea. And so I set one goal and I set a goal that I really want that represents my true desire. So I want you to think about that too. Like, what is it that you really want? What do you most want? And for example, I was talking to a woman earlier this week and we were creating her plan for 2024. And we set, she had her big goal set. And we set out the different revenue streams in her business. And then we figured out how many clients she would need in each one of those revenue streams in order to create the revenue goal that she has. And she was just like, there is no way that I can or want to have that many clients. And so I thought that was so brilliant and so attentive to really what she most wants. And she. And we figured out it wasn't that many clients. She didn't want that many. Right? And that's fine. That awareness is so valuable to have because then you problem solve for there for that problem, right? But if she had just said, okay, here's my goal. I'm going to get all these clients and this is how I'm going to do it. And but yet running in the background, her, her desire is to not work with that many clients, then she's not going to get to that goal. Right? And so that awareness is really great to have. So I ask you, what do you most want for this one and only life you're living? Really sit with that question and it will reveal so much because it's not just about the revenue goal. I always set a revenue goal because it's measurable, right? It's simple, it's measurable. And for me, every dollar that I earn represents a woman who is just that much closer to creating financial freedom for herself and her business. And so I have a revenue goal, but I also have a goal of how I want to experience my business and how I want to earn that money. Right. Or create that. That revenue. And so it's fine to have that. I think it's actually a really good idea because yeah, I set a big goal and there's a lot of different ways I could make that kind of money. But it's not just about the money. It's about the experience of the money. It's about how many hours that I'm willing to work. It's about how much cognitive energy I am willing to give to my business, how much I am willing to set my, you know, life aside in order to build this business. And I'm not willing to do that. Right. I want to have a wonderful, beautiful business, but I also want to have relationships, be connected to my kids, want to be able to attend to my own health and wellness and have a great relationship with my husband and great relationships with my family. So I want the goal in a certain way. And that's okay to know that, right? Because you want to set a goal that you can commit to, that you can connect to. That really feels great for you. So that first step then is. Is to connecting to that goal that you most want and really understanding what it is that you most want. Okay? So then the next step to committing is to make a decision. So once we know what we desire, then we can make a decision. And deciding on purpose that you want to create whatever your goal is, think about some of the biggest decisions that you've made in your life, Whether it was to move across the country and go to a specific university or to the decision to have a child or the decision to get a dog or get married, right? Those were decisions. They were one point in time that you decided and then you went forward not knowing what the future was going to hold or not knowing what the future was going to bring, right? So being a resolute decision maker is powerful. It can change the trajectory of your business and your life. So do yourself a favor and decide on that goal that you most want and then decide to create it. Right Com. Make that commitment to it, just like you did to yourself when you moved across the country, or just like you did when you committed to that partner for life, or just like you did when you decided to have a child and you committed to being their parent for the rest of their life. And I sometimes, I think as women, we defer a lot of our decision making to others in our lives, whether it's a partner or a business partner or we say, well, you know, I'm committed if it works out. But we all know that it's not going to work out if you're not committed. It's just like if you, when you pick a life partner, right. Pick the future that you want to commit to and intentionally become that future, right? We can't say, oh, I want a great marriage. If it works out, it's. We have to make it work out. Right? We have to commit to making it a great future. So you will become someone in the future or you won't be alive, either one. Right. But you will be someone in the future. So you get to decide and make that decision on purpose who it is, what you want to be and what you want to create. So challenge yourself and allow yourself, too. I think it's allowing ourselves. So challenge yourself and allow yourself to want what you want. Right. It goes back to that desire and then decide to create it. Even if you don't know all the details of how you'll get there or. Or even how you're going to like it. Like, when you decided to have a child, I mean, I know for me it was like I had this, like, idealized vision of what motherhood was going to be like, parenthood. And, you know, it was going to be so beautiful to have these beautiful babies. And. And yeah, it was that, but it was also lots of changing diapers and watching, wiping runny noses, you know, all the things that come with being a parent. Like, there was no way that I could have anticipated all of the twists and turns of becoming a parent. Right. But once I made that commitment to have a child, I also committed to all the good and the bad that come along with it. Right? So challenge yourself to. And allow yourself to want what you want and decide to create it. The power is in making the decision, having your own back come hell or high water, and trusting yourself to figure it out. And then step number three is to seal your decision with action. What actions do you want to commit to create a plan? And you know, like I said earlier, like Mike Tyson said, we can create a plan and then we get hit in the face. We make plans and then we get hit in the face. Or everybody's plans change when they get hit in the face. However he said it. So that's okay. You need to create a plan to bring this vision, this goal to fruition. And then also part of that plan is evaluating and iterating all along the way. And if you need support in creating your plan, I'm not going to take the time to go through that in this episode, but reach out to me. This is what I do for my clients. This is what I can help you do in a complimentary consultation. We can meet one on one, and I can help you create this clear plan. But one action, one really powerful action that you can take. Immediately. And I've done this, and it is magical. So I really encourage you to just take this one action in the next 24 hours is to record a video or rec. Or write a letter from your future self. Say, your future self at the end of 2024, on December 31, 2024, record a video from your future self to your present self, okay? And just make it vivid and detailed, like all the details that you want to include in there about what your life is like now at the end of 2024, and having achieved the goal that you set for yourself. And go to that place of that future self where you have achieved that goal and talk to your present self. Today's version of you imagine and talk about in this video, what is her life like, her home life, the office. Talk about what you have accomplished, what you're feeling and thinking, having accomplished that, what you're doing, what is your behavior like, right? And it's so powerful going to that place. And we even know from the research that the power of speaking and writing is that it is the first step to bringing your dreams from your inner world to the outer physical world. You begin to bring that vision to reality. And so then another action that I highly suggest is to make it a habit daily to bring yourself back to this emotion or energy of commitment and thinking about when you're committed, say, think about something in your life that you're really committed to already, Whether it's your business or not, your business or a person or a relationship or a workout routine, whatever a sport, Think about something you're really committed to and what that feels like in your body. And think about that in regards to your goal, like, create that. That emotion, that commitment. And then I want you each day to make a point of bringing yourself back to that commitment. What is the thought? And this is how I do it. I'm always thinking, like, what am I thinking today about my work, about my business, about my clients? That creates the feeling of commitment in me right now. And usually it's something to the effect of, if I can help one woman today to get closer to creating financial freedom for herself, then I will have been a success today. And so just thinking about that and thinking about the people that I serve, and that is what really drums up, brings up that energy, that emotion of commitment. And so when I take the time to create that each day, then I go into each day committed. And that's what this is. It's daily, small things, habits that we practice each day that are going to help us Achieve this goal. Right. Those. That's how we create commitment. It's on a daily basis. So if you've done all this and you still need help with your plan of action, let's talk. I would be happy to help you with that and just one complimentary consultation session together and I can help you create all that clarity on what it's going to take to get you there in action. You can always visit my website and the that's always in the show notes and on the website there's a big book, a call button, or you can reach out to me on social media, email me. I would be happy to help you. But really, intentionally creating this commitment in yourself each day will help you to achieve what you most want. When you know what you most want. Right. So discover what you most want, what your desire is, make a decision to create it, and then seal your decision with action. Okay. That's what I have for you today, my friends. I hope this has been something super helpful, inspirational. I know 2024 is going to be an amazing year of growth and adventure and fun on this entrepreneurial journey. At least that's what I'm deciding I want. I would love to have you come along with me. So. All right. I hope you have a fabulous rest of this year 2023 and I will see you on the 100th episode. I have some special plans for that and see you in the new year. Okay. Have a fabulous, fabulous day. I'll talk to you soon. Bye. If you like this podcast, then you have got to sign up for my free on demand video training. Grow your sales doing what you love. Where I teach you in depth my simple process that you can implement right away to harness your mindset and your skills to grow your sales to whatever level you want. So go grab that now. The link is in the show notes and I'll see you next time.