Now Is The Time To Set Your Practice Goals For 2010

I recently received the following email from a sharp, young OD I met while speaking at a meeting in California last spring.

Dear Jerry,

I wanted to let you know that I reached the goals we talked about after your lecture last May. We have collected $XXX,000 so far this year and I am on track to net $XXX,000. I am constantly amazed at how verbalizing and thinking about goals really works!

Sincerely,
Carrie Lee, OD

Are You Setting Goals?

Thanks Carrie! I am so proud of you for actually taking the first step in becoming financially successful as a practice owner.

I am big on putting goals in writing and using them to create a clear vision of what I want to accomplish both personally and professionally in 2010. I recommend that you do the same.

At the very least, I would like to see all my readers set four basic financial goals for 2010:

• Total Practice Revenue
• Personal Income From The Practice
• Total Personal Income From All Sources
• Personal Net Worth

If you are not in the habit of creating and writing down specific, dated goals for practice performance, please start now. As Dr. Lee discovered, it is a life-changing experience.

What About Your Personal Life?

For those of you who might find this type of year-end goal setting exercise too financially focused, I can highly recommend a new book that offers a more holistic approach.

It’s called The Power Of Story by Dr. Jim Loehr. He is a New York Times best-selling author and CEO of the Human Performance Institute in Orlando.

Learn How To Write Your Own Story

A former sports psychologist who worked mostly with world class tennis players, Dr. Loehr makes the case that one’s success (or lack of) in business, personal life and health, is basically determined by the ‘story’ we currently believe and what we tell ourselves everyday.

I agree. Personal expectations and self image are perhaps the most powerful influences in our lives.

Using the book as a guide, Loehr invites readers to 'write a new story' designed to help you get more aligned with your own values so that you can ultimately achieve both your personal and professional potential.

I hope you like the book as much as I do.

Regards,
Jerry Hayes, OD

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Disclaimer: The information and opinions contained on this site are for discussion purposes only and are NOT intended to serve as legal, accounting or investment advice. ©2009 Jerry Hayes, OD. Not to be reproduced without written permission of the author.