It's the beginning of a new business quarter, so it's the PERFECT time for you to set some goals for your practice.

But there's a mistake that bodyworkers tend to make that keeps you from hitting your goals -- then you get discouraged and stop setting them. Let's help you to avoid that mistake and get your practice humming along!

Using the metaphor of a roadmap, a goal is a piece of the journey -- a stop along the way to be sure we’re going in the right direction.

If you want to travel from Florida to Maine in a week, you have to drive a certain number of miles each day, or you won’t make it on time.

It’s the same with your bodywork practice.

I’ve heard therapists say (and I used to say it myself) “I just want to wait to see what organically unfolds.”

That’s a beautiful sentiment, but it’s not a realistic way to grow your business so that you can support yourself and your family.

I think the biggest reason that therapists are reluctant to set goals is because you may be setting LAG goals instead of LEAD goals.

Having a goal like: "Earn $5000 per month doing bodywork therapy by the end of 2018" is a lag goal. It’s called a lag goal because the goal lags behind the action.

The actions you take to get to the lag goal are called lead goals. These goals are actionable -- you can DO them, and they lead to the larger goal.

Most bodyworkers forget to set lead goals, and it's a critical mistake.

An easy way to remember this is to think of weight loss. If you say "I want to lose five pounds by the end of this month," that’s a lag goal. 

It's a fine goal, but it doesn’t help you figure out how to lose the weight.

For that, you need lead goals such as, "I will go to the gym and lift weights 5 times per week, and I will not eat sweets for 30 days."

These are the actions that are going to get you to your lag goal. I think of lead goals as items I can check off on my way to my big lag goal. Exercise today? Check. No? No check. 

It's not enough to say you want to earn $5000 from bodywork each month. Earning $5000 is not a single thing you can check off a list.

What concrete steps are you taking to get there? What can you check off a list? These are your lead goals.

They might look like: "Set up referral program for current clients by next week." Or: "Contact birthing center to inquire about teaching baby massage workshops to new moms."

Keep coming back to your lead goals: break your big lag goals down into smaller, doable lead goals.

Then the big ‘ol lag goals will take care of themselves.

And your business will start to soar.