Let’s Talk Goals (And Why Planning a Year Out Isn’t Actually That Wild)

Unpopular opinion? You should be revisiting your goals every quarter, factoring in your personal life, and yes, I really do think you should be planning at least a year out.

Now, somewhere, some business owner is reading this thinking, “This chick is nuts.” And hey, maybe that’s you. Maybe you’re muttering to yourself, “I can’t even plan for next week, let alone map out the whole year. I don’t have the time, the headspace, or the energy.”

Okay. That’s cool. I get it. But let’s sit with that for a second, because I’ve been there too.

Back when I had my quilting business, and later when I dabbled in direct sales, I didn’t have goals. I had hustle. I had drive. I had a product and a whole lot of hope. And I was gonna sell that product no matter what it cost me.

What I got in return? A whole lot of exhaustion, overspending, and yep... a steady diet of “fake it till you make it.”

And look, it got me somewhere, but it sure wasn’t a sustainable place to stay. I hit a wall, and I wanted more.

• More time at home with my kid when he needed me.

• More control over my own calendar.

• More income than any 9 to 5 had ever handed me.

• More joy. More freedom. Just... more.

So I knew I had to try something different.

At first, my goals were tiny. Like, "send five emails this week" kind of tiny. Or "post on socials without second-guessing myself" small. This was about the time I started my accomplishment journal so I could track my daily progress. It wasn’t much and I definitely wasn’t bragging to anyone, but it helped me stay focused. And for someone who thrives on chaos and caffeine, that was a big deal.

Then things started to shift. The biz grew, and I started thinking bigger. That’s when I realized, if I wanted to grow on purpose and not just by accident, I needed to plan out my quarters. And eventually, the full year.

Now I’ll be Frank, you be Mary… I kid, I kid.

Planning a whole year out sounded absolutely bonkers to me at first. I thought, “How am I supposed to predict six months from now? I don’t even know what’s for dinner tonight.” (True story—I still don’t know what’s for dinner tonight, but that’s future me and hubby’s problem.)

But here’s what I’ve learned: goals are just that—goals. They’re not stone tablets. They change, just like we do. And if the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that we are professionals at adapting. So why not plan, then pivot if you need to?

And here’s something else no one tells you when you’re deep in the trenches: you’ve gotta build your goals around your real life. Like, actual day-to-day, messy, beautiful life.

One summer I decided to keep my son home instead of sending him to camp, and I swear to you, my entire workflow did a backflip. That experience alone taught me that my business goals had to fit my life, not the other way around.

Now, I’m gonna be really honest with you here. For a long time, I couldn’t even think about where I’d be in five years. Not because I didn’t care, but because the trauma-wired part of my brain was still in fight-or-flight. I couldn’t picture things working out long enough to dream. Every time a coach asked me to map out my “big five-year plan,” I’d shut down.

Then one day, I sat in on a webinar with Lianne Kim, and something shifted. For the first time, I let myself actually dream it out. Not the play-by-play, but the big-picture version of where I wanted to go. And it felt good. Like… really good. I didn’t need to know every step on the journey. I just needed to say, “Yep, that’s the direction I want to go.” That was enough.

So if goal setting feels overwhelming, or you're staring at your to-do list wondering how you’re supposed to plan a whole year when you can barely get through this week, I see you.

Start small. Check in with your goals each quarter. Make sure your life is part of the plan. Let the dream evolve. Change direction if you need to. And above all else, give yourself permission to do it your way.

You’re not behind. You’re building. And trust me, five-years-from-now you is going to be pretty damn proud.