Growth Areas vs Goals

UNCAGED CLINICIAN
Blog

December 15, 2024

Success is not an endpoint!

In last week's edition we talked about success coming not from goals, but from systems.

Goals don't get you to where you want to go. Game plans and a way to get there do.

We also mentioned that Desire isn't enough either.

Obviously, the desire to achieve something is important.

Again, last week we said that goals simply point us in a direction. The systems we have in place are the vehicles that get us there.

Today, we want to shift the focus away from emphasizing and identifying goals in our businesses.

Yes, we DO need goals. However, goals end up being a check-box list. Mark it off, and move on to the next thing.

Another way to think about getting to where we want to be is to consider this: If (I or my business) want to become something that (I or my business) currently am not, how and where do (I) need to grow in order to become that which (I) desire?

True that last week we discussed the fact that systems are what get you to where you want to be.

So overlooked in all areas of life is answering the question of growth. It is so easy for us to approach something with the mindset of "What do I need to do?".

The real question that many times should be addressed is "Who do I need to BE - i.e. in what areas do I need to grow - in order to do/achieve the thing that I want to do/achieve?"

What do we mean by this?

For example, a clinician starting his or her own practice needs to do certain things to become established. He needs a marketing strategy. She needs to have a follow up system with leads, and so forth.

Learning and implementing those things are easy, really.

However, for a marketing strategy to work, for a follow up system to be put into place, or for an effective sales system to be developed, these things may require that clinician to grow in the areas of gaining clarity, organization, and confidence.

To be frank, we often see many promising entrepreneurs who need to grow in believing in themselves.

If you have been around UNCAGED CLINICIAN for any length of time, you have heard us say that business growth will never exceed personal development.

But before we go down a rabbit hole, let us bring it back to your business taking off.

Achieving goals may have only temporary impacts.

A goal of filling schedules is important and achievable. But, when do you check off that box? Is it after the two week mark? Two months? A year?

The right systems are going to help to fill those schedules.

But what if, rather than a finite goal being emphasized, the problem was attacked from a different angle. That is, considering where we need to grow ourselves or as a business?

Having the humility to acknowledge a current weakness that needs strengthening - and then working on that growth area - can shoot you beyond your intended goal.

Growing will have longer lasting effects, because growing is a never ending process.

Think about it. When was the last time you returned to a checked box? Probably close to never.

In fact, we tend to move on to a whole new list of boxes to check.

A quote mentioned by Andrew Clear, author of Atomic Habits, was "We don't rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems."

The same is so very true about our growth, both professionally and personally.

As a 5' 10" adult, you will never go back to being a 4' 8" 12 year old. When your practice grows in ways that allows it to thrive, you won't ever have to resort back to "trying to figure things out and hoping for the best".

Learning a sales process, and recognizing that not everyone is going to buy from you will instill within you a confidence that will not allow for self-defeating statements.

Advancing in an educational realm - i.e. learning - pushes your knowledge and skill set forward. Such learned skills are used to better serve others.

Growing in knowledge or in a skill set can be ways to better serve clients and even highlight to gatekeepers. Through this sort of growth is how a goal of increasing caseloads (and, thus, revenue) can be obtained.

Undoubtedly we need systems to achieve. More importantly, we must make the decision to become who (we) need to be in order for those systems to work.

UNCAGED CLINICIAN is a business that exists to help you and your business to grow. Professionally and personally.

In fact, this is what one very recent PATHWAY student had to say:

"Thank you for all of the support you have provided over the past two years. The more I've been processing everything, the more I've been realizing that UNCAGED was not just a stepping stone for me as a physical therapist and business owner. (The program) was also a stepping stone for me personally, my family, and my faith. I've come to realize that UNCAGED has helped me to go deeper (in all areas) which helped my business to grow."

-Josh L

Are you ready to grow as a business owner? Take the first step here.

Your Success is our success!

The UNCAGED team