Did You Make Your Money Goals This Year? Why The Outcome Is NOT As Important As You Think

How do you celebrate the end of the year? Maybe it’s with vacations, holidays, and much-needed downtime. But if you’re an entrepreneur, you probably have another end-of-year tradition that can be just as sobering as it can be exciting. It’s dwelling on whether or not you made your end of year money goals.

It’s that yearly “reality check” with your business. It’s a time when all of us entrepreneurs start thinking the same thing…

How did this year go, did I make my end of year money goals, and what do I want to happen next year?

If you crushed your numbers this year, you might feel like dancing a New Year’s jig. If you didn’t, though, it can put a serious damper on your holiday cheer.

Today we’re going to talk about GOALS and what they’re all about. We’ll also talk about why it’s important NOT to freak out if you look at your year-end income, see that you didn’t make your end of year money goals, and feel that a gut-punch to the ego.

The most obvious goals that we entrepreneurs set for ourselves is often about money. It’s about hitting the numbers every month. After all, we’re in business to make money, and naturally we all want to make those money goals. But sometimes that desire can pull a few fast ones on your mindset (and your happiness)!

We often let money goals in our head dictate our feelings of success. When we hit them, all is well with the world. But when we don’t, it’s a potential money mindset disaster. 

And oh, the crazy things your mind can make those disappointing numbers mean! Tell me if any of this sounds familiar…

Maybe it means I’m no good at what I do. Maybe I’m just a lousy money manifestor. Maybe I’m just not cut out for entrepreneurship and should give my old corporate boss a call…

I’m guessing this rings a bell! I know I’ve been there a million times, and I still have my moments. Even the most “successful” of us do. But what can you do to keep negative self-talk from derailing you every time don’t turn out like you planned, especially when that year-end review feels like a lump of coal in your stocking?

Here’s a different perspective from the usual “failure is not an option” battle cry.

Setting a goal is essential. But if and how you achieve that goal? NOT important. This includes End Of Year Money Goals.

So am I telling you that setting the goal is more important than achieving it? Honestly, that’s about right! Setting goals is wonderful. Attaching yourself to a “my way or the highway” outcome can be a recipe for failure. 

No matter who you are or what you’ve achieved, you can’t control outcomes. All you can do is show up for the process. 

I don’t always make my income or money goals every year. Sometime I don’t even make them every month! But you know what? It doesn’t bother me the way that it used to. 

The ultimate goal of setting goals is to be in the process, and learn as you go. It’s about how you feel as you work toward your dreams, what you learn, and how you use it. It’s not about achieving the goal itself.

Not something that you usually hear in our that you don’t hear much about in our work-obsessed, outcomes-driven world, is it? 

But trust me, no matter whether your goal is making 20K a month or losing 20 pounds, letting go of the outcome and trusting the process is where the gold is.

Here’s an example from my life. It’s not about money, but it’s NO less relevant when it comes to goals of all kinds.

A few years back, I lost 28 pounds. I’ve felt freer and more confident in my body than I have in years, and it was amazing. But believe it or not, it wasn’t because of some miracle diet or hours at the gym. I honestly didn’t change my eating or workout habits much at all. 

The only change I made was that I stopped focusing on the goal.

I know how crazy and counterintuitive that sounds. But the weight loss happened, and it was effortless.
Here’s how it went down…

First, I threw out all of my “skinny clothes.” Then I decided I was DONE stressing, and that I was going to enjoy my life, enjoy my space. Finally, I decided that I would treat my body with love and respect.

So the only “goal” I set was to let go of the goal, and to stop seeing goals as an ode to my failure. Then without even trying, I was down 28 pounds in three months!

It doesn’t matter what you’re after–money, power, success, relationships, you name it. There’s NO pushing through the goal. (Trust me, I’ve tried. It does NOT work!)

What do you do instead? It’s something that you don’t hear much about in our work-obsessed, goal-driven world.

You show up every day, and you do what you can. Even if that’s doing nothing, do your best. Learn the process. Build self-awareness, positive habits, and supportive self-talk as you go. Then, sit back and receive inner love, respect, and positive habits in that space!

It doesn’t matter what you’re after–money, power, success, relationships, you name it. Attaching to the outcome and pushing toward a goal will never make you happy. (Trust me, I’ve tried!)

If you focus on nothing but results, you’ll never be satisfied. 

Because no matter what goal you hit, there will always be a shiny new goal to take its place. But if you focus on the process instead of the outcome, you’ll get something better. You’ll discover your self-worth from within. That’s the most rewarding “goal” of all!

Failure to reach a goal doesn’t mean you failed. If you’ve learned something through the process, you’ve achieved something even more valuable than your original goal. 

So, if this year was one for the books, congrats! If it wasn’t quite what you planned (or nowhere near), take heart. Reflect on what went right, learn from what didn’t work out so well, and celebrate YOU. 

Keep setting goals, show up for the process, and learn something along the way. The outcome is what it is.

What do YOU plan to reflect on the most before the next year starts, and if you’ve set goals for the year to come, what are they? I’d love to hear about how this year went for you, and what you want the next one to be! Leave me a comment below. 

I wish you a beautiful, reflective, and restorative end of the year, and invite you to share your wins in the comments below!

P.S. Looking for a simple plan to help you meet your money goals in the next 90 days–and WITHOUT stressing over it, like we talked about here? Check out this post on how to set 90-Day Money goals without stress, attachment, or fear (and be good with the outcome no matter what)!