If you’re like many practice owners, you closed out the end of the year with the resolution to grown your practice in the coming year.

 

You’re filled with anticipation of the New Year to come with the promise that you’ll spend more time in your practice. You’ll work more on your marketing. You’ll give your office a good cleaning. You’ll get more organized. You’ll introduce yourself to more professionals for referrals. Or, maybe you’ll get on more insurance panels.

 

Yes, you’re filled with the anticipation of making these resolutions come to pass, but now that the New Year is hear, you’re just not quite sure how to put it all into place. You may not even be sure where to star.

Let’s take a look at what it takes to make your resolutions a reality.

Resolutions Require a Plan

That’s right, like anything else in life, anything that you resolve to accomplish requires a road map to help get you there.

This doesn’t have to be a complicated endeavor. Just a simple brain storming session with paper and pencil is all it takes to get you on your way.

Think about what you’d like to accomplish and what that kind of success will look like in your practice. Is it more clients? Is it an increase in cost per session? Is it less time in the office? Is it a new program you’d like to create? A new workshop?

There are no wrong answers here, let your heart speak during this free flowing, brain storming exercise.

 

Break Your Resolutions Down Into Steps

Once you’ve gotten really clear on what you want to accomplish, it’s time to think about what it will take to make that happen.

This is where many folks struggle. The goal itself can seem so large and overwhelming that it never gets off the ground.

However, it’s kind of like that old adage that says, “How do you eat an elephant……one bite at a time.”

You have to break down that big audacious goal into mini victories or mini steps.

And it doesn’t matter how many little steps you have to break this in to, in order to achieve it. This is not a competition. It’s a promise you make to yourself. So, go ahead, break that goal down into 50 steps if you have to, but spell them out and commit it to writing. Goals that are not in writing often do not happen at all.

 

Place Your Resolutions Where You Can See Them

In order to stay focused on accomplishing your resolution, you’ll want to make sure that you see them on a regular basis.

After I’ve created my plan for the year I put them on my bulletin board, or my vision board. I see it every morning when I come in to the office and it’s the last thing I see at night before I shut off the lights.

However, to really take this a step further and ensure you stay on track to turn your resolutions into reality, place all of those steps necessary to complete your goals on your calendar.

When you know that you have to get one of the steps completed by noon on Wednesday, you’re likely to stay more focused in how you manage your time and your work schedule.

 

Dauntless Resolutions

 

Resolutions Require Accountability

Here’s the step most people don’t particularly enjoy….myself included.

It’s fairly easy to state your goals as you dreamily think about that life you want to create.

It’s even not too painful to break them down into smaller more digestible bites. After all, you’re still in the dreaming stage here and the reality of the real world and all of its obstacles haven’t intruded on your time yet.

However, when you talk about having someone hold you accountable for the promises you make to yourself, that’s where things can start to get uncomfortable.

But the good news is, it doesn’t have to be. Not with the right person.

Find a friend or a colleague who has a kind but firm spirit and knows what it means to stretch beyond their comfort zone.

I talk to my accountability partner once a week and it’s been a great experience. She reminds me that I am capable of achieving all that I desire and will call me out when necessary.

The best part of having an accountability partner however, is that she helps me celebrate every single victory along the way. That’s right, if I have to break one goal down into 50 digestible bites, she’s right there with me celebrating all 50 victories along the way!

What I’ve learned along the way is that being a private practice owner does not mean that you have to live on an island. We can grow in community and there is plenty of room for all of us at the top.

Do you have specific tools you use to accomplish your resolutions? I’d love to hear them in the comments below.

If you have marketing goals for your practice that you’d like some help with, contact me at Woz Marketing.

 

 

 

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