Are you making progress on your goals? Now that we are wrapping up the first quarter of 2023, it is a perfect time to check in with your original goals for the year. In today’s episode, I’m sharing five questions to ask yourself in order to review your progress and continue growing your business with a holistic approach to goals.
The Shoot It Straight Podcast is brought to you by Sabrina Gebhardt, photographer and educator. Join us each week as we discuss what it’s like to be a female creative entrepreneur while balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood. If you’re trying to find balance in this exciting place you’re in, yet willing to talk about the hard stuff too, Shoot It Straight Podcast is here to share practical and tangible takeaways to help you shoot it straight.
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Today’s episode is brought to you by Root to Rise, a four month mastermind and retreat for female photographers where personal development meets business growth. During the four month experience, students have weekly calls focusing on a variety of topics that both better their lives and their businesses, along with incredible guest teachers, a private Facebook community, and weekly Voxer hours! One of the best parts of the experience is definitely the three day in person retreat. The women who have gone through this program have had some absolutely incredible transformations reached massive goals and changed the trajectory of their businesses. Come join us for Root to Rise!
Review the Show Notes:
Checking in with your goals (1:18)
How does this feel to me? (3:03)
How do you feel when you are working on your goals? (4:51)
Do you feel supported in striving to reach your goals? (5:59)
How has your physical health been? (9:42)
How is the health of your relationships? (12:07)
Episode Links:
Root to Rise Mastermind & Retreat
Review the Transcript:
Welcome to the shoot it straight podcast. I’m your host, Sabrina Gephardt. Here I will share an honest take on what it’s like to be a female creative entrepreneur. while balancing business, motherhood and life, myself along with my guests will get vulnerable through honest conversations and relatable stories because we’re willing to go there. If you’re trying to find balance in this exciting place you’re in, yet willing to talk about the hard stuff to to shoot it straight podcast is here to share practical and tangible takeaways to help you shoot it straight.
Welcome to another episode of the shoot it straight podcast. So believe it or not, the first quarter of this year is over. And if you’re like me, you’re probably shocked that the year is going by so dang fast. Maybe you’re pumped because the second quarter means shooting more. And finally getting back behind the camera. Or maybe you’re bummed because you had really big plans for what you wanted to accomplish in the first quarter. And things didn’t end up like you had hoped. Maybe you enjoy the quiet of q1 and you’re inspired to create again, maybe you attended a conference or two and you’re ready to start implementing some really exciting changes. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, the second quarter is here. And spring brings a pickup in just about every creative business that I can think of including photography, people are over the shock of holiday spending, and they’re shopping again and spending money again, warmer weather brings a lot more travel, families want outdoor spring photos, couples are getting engaged spring cleaning has begun. And that often brings the urge to redecorate a room or two. Lots of shifting happens when spring hits. Today, I want to encourage you to check in with your original goals for the year. Yes, even if you completely abandon them all the way back in February, I want you to pull out that notebook planner or dry erase board that you used. And I want you to give yourself the grace to start again if necessary. Of course, there are very practical ways that you can measure and track the progress of your goals. And I do think that’s very, very important.
Are you seeing the increases that you had hoped for? Are you seeing forward motion are your sales increasing your email subscribers, increasing your followers increasing? All of those things are a totally a massive part of goal setting. And actually reaching goals, you need to know where you stand when you look at the numbers. But today, I really want to take a more holistic approach to reviewing your goals and checking in on your progress. I’m going to share five things that you can ask yourself, that will also tell you how you’re doing with your 2023 goals. So unless you are brand new to this podcast, you know that I love a good journaling moment, file this exercise into that category. Take some notes here, and then break out your trusty journal later today and really dig in and think through these questions. So let me break it down for you. The first thing you can ask yourself, when you are thinking about your progress with your goals so far this year, I want you to reread your original 2023 goals out loud, one at a time. And then ask yourself, How does this feels to me, and I want you to really let yourself get mushy gushy here.
How does it feel in your body? How does it land with you? Does it still create a flutter of excitement? And maybe excited nerves? Or is it something negative? Is it something negative that just like dread, or you just really are physically drained when you read it out loud? Does it not jive with you anymore? So it’s really important to reevaluate your goals every so often. And I think quarterly is perfect. Because guess what? Things change. I know it doesn’t seem like a whole ton should have changed in just three months. But it does. And as an entrepreneur, you have every right to pivot every single rate just because you set a goal three months ago or four months ago. And it was very exciting at the time. If you reread that goal now and you realize nope, I’m not excited about it anymore. Or actually, I’m dreading it. That is a really huge indicator that you need to listen to and allow yourself the grace to put that goal down. Allow yourself the space to pivot and say, This is not for me anymore. And that is okay. So reread your goals one at a time and then see how it physically feels in your body. So the second thing I want you to do is how do you feel when you are working on these goals. So when you’ve carved out the time on your couch
Under and you’re sitting down to do the thing, whatever it is, that is marching you towards your goals. How do you feel when you’re doing that work? Again? Are you energized? Are you excited? Do you find yourself getting into flow where you kind of lose track of time? And you’re just doing the thing and rocking and rolling? Or is it hard to get started? Do you struggle to get the momentum? Does it feel frustrating? Do you feel bored? Is it does it not have that positive energy that it should really ask yourself how it feels when you’re working on these goals, because something may need to change. I’m not saying necessarily that you need to abandon all of your goals, but maybe how you’re going about them. Or maybe the timeline that you’re that you have put yourself on needs to change.
So ask yourself how you are feeling when you’re working on these goals and let that be an indicator of something that might need to change. Another thing to ask yourself is, do you feel supported in striving to reach these goals? What is your support system? Like? Are you literally just winging it? Are you sitting there in your home office or at your kitchen counter with your laptop just trying to figure it out? You don’t have any support system? Nobody knows that you’re striving towards these goals other than yourself? Or do you have help? Whether it be a VA or a coach, or even just a business bestie who is there to support you while you are doing this hard work? Who is there to cheer you on? When you have a win? Who is there to listen and lend an ear when you are frustrated and you feel like you’re not getting anywhere? Who is there to help you when you get stuck on something and you don’t know how to move forward? What kind of support do you have? Or are you lacking support?
And I bring this up because I think it is so important when we are striving towards goals, especially when they are big. And here’s a hint they should be big goals should feel a little bit unattainable. That is what makes them exciting. Okay? When you are striving towards something that is big, you need to have some sort of support. Okay? It’s not a surprise that I’m a business coach, and I have a mastermind and a membership. And I do mentoring and all this Yes, I would love to support you. But whether it’s me or another coach, or like I said, just a business bestie you need to have someone that can hold your hand through this process that can be your support that can help you find the answers that can cheer you on. Because going it alone is not going to work. You are not going to reach a big goal all by yourself. You need to have somebody to encourage you to pick you up when you fall to help you along your way. So ask yourself, do you feel supported while you’re striving for these goals? If the answer is no, or if the answer is not quite enough, that could be the missing piece that could be what you need in order to really start picking up the momentum and making forward progress for your goals this year.
Today’s episode is brought to you by route to rise a four month mastermind and retreat for female photographers. That is where personal development meets business growth. During the four month experience, students have weekly calls focusing on a variety of topics that both better their lives and their businesses. Think topics like goals, boundaries, money and marketing, and many many others. The program also includes incredible guest teachers, a private Facebook community and weekly Voxer hours, where you get individualized guidance and mentoring from me on topics that matter to you and your business. One of the best parts of the experience is definitely the three day in person retreat. Consider this the most fun girls weekend ever. We eat well do yoga, photograph three sessions, work through portfolio reviews, take headshots and build deep friendships. I can tell you that the women who have gone through this program have had some absolutely incredible transformations reached massive goals and changed the trajectory of their businesses. If you want to get on the waitlist to be notified when enrollment opens again soon, you can head over to the link in the show notes and get on that list. And now back to the episode.
So another thing I want you to ask yourself when you are thinking over quarter one and how you’re doing with your goals is how has your physical health been? I know you’re probably thinking, Sabrina, what the heck does my physical health have anything to do with my business goals? Well
It’s kind of another indicator. Okay? If you feel like you have been working so hard and burning the midnight oil and putting all of your extra time and effort and energy into these goals, and your physical health has not been good. Maybe you have been just constantly sick one thing after another, okay, maybe you have been physically exhausted. Maybe you have let your routine of daily workouts slide. Maybe you’re not drinking enough water and you’ve gone way too heavy on the caffeine binging okay, maybe sugar is sustaining you through your day, maybe you’ve picked up a lot of healthy habits and your physical health is suffering. Those are all signs that this is not going very well for you and something needs to change. Okay, I want you to reach your goals, I really, really do.
But I don’t want your health to suffer. To reach your goals. That’s not the point. I want it to go hand in hand, I want you to reach your goals and be so physically healthy, I want you to feel so taken care of so supported, I want you to have energy, I want you to be at your best in all ways. So if you have been making progress towards your goals, but your physical health is at its worst, or has really taken a backseat, or you have noticed a really big physical toll on your body. That is a huge red flag that something needs to change. Maybe you’re pushing too fast, too hard, maybe you just need to back off a little bit. Still aim for the same goal. But give yourself more time and space. Maybe you just need to have a little kick in the pants to get back into your healthy routines. Right? Maybe you need to schedule a doctor’s appointment or whatever it is, your physical health should not be the cost of reaching your goals.
So if it has not been good in the first quarter, that could be an indicator that your priorities have shifted in the wrong way. And you need to take a step back, take back control of your physical health so that you can reach your goals and be at your absolute best. So the last thing I want you to ask yourself when taking a holistic look at the progress you’re making on your goals so far this year is I want to ask you, how is the health of your relationships? So just like the last question was How was your physical health? Now I want you to look at your relationship health, the relationship with your partner or your spouse, relationship with your kids, if you have them with your best friend, with your parents, with anyone close to you. Have you been a good human? Are you seeing these people in real life? Are you present with them when you are with them in real life? Or have you just fallen off the face of the earth and gone into hermit mode where you are only hyper focused on your goals. Just like I don’t want your physical health to suffer. When you are moving towards and making progress towards your goals. I don’t want your relationships to suffer either. This does not have to be an either or, okay. This is not a I can reach these big amazing goals, but I can’t see my friends or my family or go to any of my kids sporting events. You can have both. I want this to be a both and okay. Yes, it does require really prioritizing your time and efforts and energies. But you can have wonderful relationships and great physical health and make progress towards your big business goals. So if you ask yourself, How have your relationships been in the last quarter while you’re working towards your goals, and you think oh, not so good, Sabrina, not so good.
Now that you now that you mentioned it, I’ve been really fussy with my spouse. And I haven’t been totally present with my kids. And I haven’t seen my best friend at all. And I want you to take a pause. Give yourself some grace for making that mistake. And then reprioritize your calendar, you can pull back a little bit every day to allow time for connections and real relationships. And here’s the thing, it might feel frivolous to you. Especially if you are caught up in the momentum of your goals. You might think to yourself, I mean, I’d love to see my best friend for coffee, but also like I’m so close to reaching this goal. I don’t I don’t want to carve out that time. Here’s the deal. carving out the time to pour into your loved ones and to let them pour into you is actually going to make you more productive when you do get back to work on your goals. Okay, taking time for relationships out side of your business goals is going to benefit you in so many other ways. Okay, it’s rest, it allows you time to play and to reset, okay, and it makes you a better human, which is always a good thing. Okay. So, again, I want you to review these five questions and I really do one
Want you to do this in journaling form because there’s something so beautiful about getting the words on the page. Okay? It’s amazing what comes out when you sit down and you take pen to paper and really just kind of pour your heart out with these answers. So again, the five things to review, to take a holistic look at how you’re doing with your goals. Number one, reread your original goals out loud, one at a time. And then ask yourself, How does this feel to me? How does this feel in my body? Number two, how do you feel when you are working on these goals? Again, physically? How do you feel physically when you sit down to work on these goals? Number three, do you feel supported in striving to reach these goals? Do you have a support system? Number four, when you think back over the first quarter, how has your physical health been? And then number five? Again, thinking back over the first quarter? How has the health of your relationships then? So after you’ve spent some time reviewing the holistic piece of your business and goals? Think about it? Are you getting anywhere? And if so, are you happy with where you have landed? Have you felt like you are constantly googling all the things desperate for help and support but you still are feeling totally alone? Are you spinning your wheels? Or are you actually getting somewhere?
This is why coaching and accountability play a huge piece in the role of successful entrepreneurs who are able to set and meet lofty goals, while still keeping their sanity intact. They have the guidance and wisdom of an outsider who can see their business a bit more clearly than we can when we’re in the thick of things right? And not only do they get the wisdom and advice from a coach, they’re gaining the accountability of someone who will continue to check in with them, who will continue to ask the hard questions, who will continue to encourage and inspire you to keep going when progress feels really slow. So if you don’t have a coach or even a business accountability partner and you’re finding yourself struggling to make progress or feel supported, I encourage you to find someone. There are groups, programs, mentors and people in your life that would love to help you find the right one for you. I promise it will make all the difference in the world. And that’s it for today’s episode my friends. I will see you next week on another episode of the shoot it straight podcast.
Thanks so much for listening to the shoot it straight podcast. You can find all the full show notes and details from today’s episode at Sabrina gebhardt.com backslash podcast comm find me and connect over on the gram at Sabrina Gebhardt photography. If you’re loving the podcast, I’d be honored if you hit that subscribe button and leave me a review. Until next time, my friends shoot it straight.
