In this series  of "Coffee Talk with Jill," Jill, founder, and owner of Jill Allen & Associates will be diving into a few topics that are near and dear to her and are things she often find herself coaching  doctors on. She will be getting up close and personal with goal setting, which is why she has  lovingly dubbed this coffee talk series Mindset Mastery: Goal Setting for 2021. 

Now that we have reviewed your previous year and evaluated the team, I want to talk about you! In a business like orthodontics, you, the orthodontist, is at the center of it all. Ultimately, this can mean there is a lot of pressure on you. So when we are thinking about goal setting, we also have to keep in mind the importance of personal growth as well as professional.

When I set personal goals, I always try to be realistic about what I can accomplish. Learning to play the guitar sounds super exciting, and it something I would love to do, but before I add that to my list, I do a little reflection about what it would take to achieve that goal. 

1. I envision myself completing my goal: This is where all the warm fuzzies and the excitement about that goal begins. But you mustn’t get stuck in this step because this is where we can psych ourselves into an unachievable goal. 
2. Next, I take it a step back and envision what changes this goal requires me to make to my day, week, month, and year. 
3. Then I consider these things, and I rate them on a scale of 1-5:
• Time commitment 
• Monetary commitment 
• Emotional commitment 

As you rate your goal in these three categories, it’s important that you do not minimize the commitments. If I am rating a potential goal, and anything falls as a four or above on my scale, I know this may not be a good goal for me. There is something really interesting that happens psychologically when we set goals. We build that goal up in our mind and often forget about the real, day to day commitment that it will take to achieve it. And once we have set our sites on that goals and cannot feasibly keep up with that commitment, we spiral into thoughts about our self-worth and then doubt our ability to achieve any goal ever. 

This is why setting realistic goals are so significant. Do not set yourself up for failure. Be honest with yourself, no matter how hard it may be.It’s important as business owners that we give ourselves a little grace. We all have this drive and passion for our businesses, our teams, and our families, but we need to understand that we have a lot on our plate because we are business owners, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, and friends. Because of our entrepreneurial spirit, we all tend to be hard on ourselves. So when it comes to setting goals, we must master a realistic mindset. 

If you are new at setting personal goals, think about realistic goals like reading a book on a topic that you have never explored, spend an hour a week on movement, or taking 30 minutes each Sunday and dedicating that time to personal improvementl.  These may not be grandiose, but they will get you started down a path of achieving personal goals and finding balance in your personal and professional lives. 

For more tips, use the link below to watch the entire episode of Coffee Talk with Jill! 

If you would like to find out more about Jill Allen & Associates or ways we may be able to help your practice, use the contact us page to schedule a complimentary consultation with Jill!

Don't forget to tune in next week for the final  episode of "Coffee Talk with Jill"!  Jill will be discussing how to set goals that are specific to you and your practice!