Going for Goals!

By Robyn McAlpine

It’s easy to set goals amongst the hype of a new year and with the pressure of seeing everyone else go for gold on their goals. But now that the dust has settled, where are you at with your career aspirations this year?

It’s easy to write a list or dream up some big scary audacious plan, seeing yourself in the light of all the ‘New Year, New Me’ possibilities. It’s like you ignite this little spark, filled with big dreams and hope and the year ahead feels exciting, fresh, and sparkly.

But with goals that scare you a little bit, comes the actual doing, because we can’t just wish them into reality. There’s a little bit of work involved to bring these dreams to life.

If you were following the people on the internet who were loudly spruiking their massive goals, their intentions and their ‘word of the year’ style motivation posts, you may have noticed that it’s right about now that these folks tend to slip off the radar as the year gets bogged down with obligations and life starts throwing lemons.

Suddenly, the good intentions, the manifesting energy, the “let’s do it” attitude dwindles, and the stark light of day reminds us that big goal things require big actions and some of those actions take hard work, a bit of sacrifice and above all, showing up a different person than you’ve ever been before.

So, I’m here, as a not-so-gentle reminder that NOW is when the real work begins. But I’m not going to leave you hanging. I’m giving you three things you can do that will help you get back on track and keep the spark alive!

Maybe your goal was to step into being that amazing skin therapist you dream of being, but you get to work and forget to rebook your clients, or you chicken out when it comes to having those home care conversations with clients that mean they might actually have to buy something from you.

Maybe you wanted to finally leave the job that’s sucking the life out of your soul and apply for that dream career with the boss you admire, the team you want to be part of, but the bills keep coming and “it’s just not great timing” to take a new direction. (Pssst! There’s never a good time)

Perhaps you decided that this year was going to be the year you went back and requalified or you wanted to uplevel your knowledge, but when you logged onto the website to apply you saw the cost of the training and you quickly logged back out again.

(Side note:) Hun, I’m here to tell you learning is absolutely an investment and an investment in yourself is always the best kind. You’re worth it and if you’re going to back a winner, always back yourself!

So how can I help? Besides a swift kick up the rear end and pushing you kicking and screaming into your goals, let’s first look at what Inspired you to aim high in the first place.

When you dream of your career in this industry, what do you see?

When you think about the impact you want to have, the clients you want to see, the business you aspire to… What do you FEEL? Is it warm fuzzies? A little bit of fear? Like it’s exciting but scary at the same time?

When you get that feeling, it’s the part of you inside that’s giving you the green light to take the leap and go for it. This is the energy you want to go into this big goal with. But it can be so easy to let that spark die out when the world throws bills, obligations, and distractions in your way.

So how do you dig under all the distractions to get the spark back?

Now I’m not your hippie ‘woo woo’, manifesting kinda gal, that stuff gets lost on me.

But what I do know is the more you can get back to the feeling of the spark, the more likely you’ll be in the right mindset, in the ideal headspace and the zone that you need to be in to make these big scary goals a reality.

Here’s three things you can do to keep the spark alive:

Number 1: Write your dreams (goals) down and go ‘ham’ on the details. Write as though you’re writing a wish list to Santa Claus and grown-up life hasn’t told you it’s not possible yet. Write some of the most audacious things.

Some of them might actually surprise you. Maybe you want to win an industry award with your skin care brand or perhaps a big industry event like the AIBAS? You might want to apply for that promotion or advanced role in your clinic?

Maybe you see yourself starting your own business?

Now as you read it, What kind of therapist would you need to be to live that life? Who are they? What would they do? What’s something that kind of therapist would do every day?

Would they show up to work on time, ready to take clients’ skin to the next level? Have purpose-driven skin focused conversations with every client? Would they make home care recommendations without cringing on the inside?

I imagine a person who shows up like that would kick some serious goals.

If you were that therapist today, how would you show up? What kind of breakfast would you have? (one that will fuel you for a great start in the salon) What’s the first thing you would do when you got to the salon?

It’s as simple as Starting by doing those things. Live your life as if you ARE that therapist and watch what happens! You might actually surprise yourself!

Number 2: Put your dreams right under your nose. What is something that you look at, touch, carry each day that as soon as you see it, feel it, or hold it, the first thing you think of is your big scary goal?

It could be a key ring, a photograph, a lucky pair of underpants, maybe a screen saver on your phone or a note in your bag. Whatever it is, make sure it is something that instantly links your thoughts to that bright spark goal. Often called an anchor, it’s a physical reminder of your big goal.

What this does is trigger your brain that every time you see that “thing” your brain connects to that spark and knows it’s coming into your life so it’s getting ready for it. It’s a physical reminder to get you in the zone of focusing, even for a split second, of your goal and the steps you are taking to get there.

Maybe you have a post-it-note on your computer, a photograph on your targets board, the aim is to see it multiple times per day and let the subliminal get to work.

Seeing, feeling, and touching this anchor is how you keep the spark alive, even on the days a truck dumps a pile of lemons in your driveway.

Seeing is believing. Make sure you’re putting the vision in front of your eyes every single day.

Number 3: Take the leap. This step is about actually doing the big scary thing.

Like enrolling in that class? Click that link and fill in the application form.

Want to connect with other therapists? Come and join the Skinside Out Squad.

Want to win the award? Download the entry form and start the application process.

Want to apply for that job? Time to dust off the resume and put your best foot forward. Hot tip: don’t wait for your dream job to pop up on the forums. Put your big girl pants on and reach out directly to that salon. Bosses love enthusiasm and therapists who take the initiative.

The first step is always the hardest and the scariest. But one step leads to another and before you know it, you’re well on your way to kicking those goals and living your best skin therapist life!

I’m about to let you in on a BIG secret. None of us has a treasure map to the gold. But the people who you admire most and see doing amazing things in our industry, they’re the ones who just take the next step, even if they’re not quite sure. They don’t always know where it will lead or if it’s the right step, but they take a step anyway because that’s how you move forward, even if you feel a little stuck.

If you feel like you kicked off 2024 with the best of intentions and you’ve not yet started, don’t write yourself off thinking you missed the boat. You don’t need to wait for a new year. You don’t even need to wait for a new week! Heck, why start Monday?? If you’re reading this, consider this your fresh start and the minute you put this magazine article down you’re going to reignite that spark!

Write down your big goals and show up as that person. Don’t wait to reach the goal before you start acting like the therapist who has achieved it!

Put it right in front of your eyes, make it so easy to light up that spark with an anchor that reminds you multiple times each day. And before this day ends, take one action step towards your goal. Just one small step can be the catalyst to the magic that’s about to unfold in your career!

@expert_skin_therapist www.robynmcalpine.com