This year has been a wild ride so far. Although many of us started the year with ambitious goals and lists of tasks to achieve, a few months in we were knocked sideways by the effects of COVID-19, including lockdowns, business, and school closures, and more. It is difficult to stay on track when life has thrown curveball after curveball. 

In normal years, June is an excellent time to review your progress toward your goals. The mid-year point serves as a checkpoint to assess if you’re on track and, if not, take steps to get back on track. Although things are feeling definitely abnormal right now, it’s still a good time to review your goals and reassess them if you must. 

The mid-year goal check-in

Some network marketers continued to review their goals and stay on track, regardless of the lockdowns and home-life adjustments. Congratulations to them! Doing so takes a ton of focus and discipline.

However, most have struggled to stay focused on much of anything – the business, homeschooling, etc. With so many adjustments being made in such a short period of time, many people have felt overwhelmed with it all, and that’s totally understandable. To go from feeling hopeful and ambitious at the beginning of the year to feeling uncertain a couple months later has a huge impact on motivation, focus, and even your psyche. But, through it all, there is hope: hope that things will return to normal-ish at some point in the future; hope that we can still reach our goals, even if we have to adjust them slightly to account for the last few months; and hope that we’ll all get through this together and become stronger than before. 

“Let’s not look back in anger, or forward in fear, but around in awareness.” -James Thurber

Focus on what you can control

One of the biggest struggles for many network marketers and business owners is feeling not in control. Many are wondering how to run businesses when there’s so much going on. 

The good news is that as a network marketer, we were working from home anyway. Sure, those quiet moments we used to work on our businesses have become louder and more chaotic, especially if you have children at home, but we’re still able to carve out time to message people in our networks to check-in, wish them well, and deliver a sliver of hope. 

As network marketers there is one thing we can control and that’s our commitment to connecting with our customers, prospects, and distributors. It’s not about making the sale. Instead, it’s about continuing to forge relationships with the people in our network. And, it’s putting on a bright smile and lending a sympathetic ear and listing for a need that we can fill. We can’t control the virus, we can’t control the economy, we can’t control other people’s reactions, etc. However, we can control our actions and one of the most important things we can do right now is to be that beacon of hope that shines positivity into all those dark places. 

Review your goals

Put an asterisk next to your goal results this year. It’s been a wild year – one that is miles away from normal. That’s something to consider when you’re reviewing your goals. This is especially true if circumstances knocked you off course and it’s taken you some time to get back to focusing on your business. 

When you’re reviewing your goals, ask yourself:

Are you on track to reach your goals?

If you’ve managed to stay on track through it all, that’s fantastic. Keep it up.

However, don’t beat yourself up for falling off-course; congratulate yourself for getting up and recommitting to your goals. There’s no shame in admitting that you’re not on track. That’s normal in times like these. It’s more important to find a way to get back on the path.

How close are you to reaching your goals or milestones?

Again, some network marketers have thrived at this time; many others have had to readjust to changing circumstances. Are you on track? Keep it up!

Not where you expected? It’s so easy to just give up and say, “well, that’s it. Maybe I’ll try again next year” or “I guess this network marketing thing just isn’t for me.” Instead of giving up, use this as an opportunity to persist. Take aim for your goals, even if you’re not 100 percent sure you’ll reach them. 

What have you done well?

Hope and motivation reside in the silver linings of any challenging situation. Have you doubled-down on your relationships by taking the time to reach out to your network daily? Are you posting positivity on social media to give your network hope during this uncertain time? Did you recommit to doing a Power Hour daily, even if you’ve done it in 5-minute segments between everything else you have on your to-do list?

“Train yourself to find the blessing in everything.”

Make a list of everything you’ve done well during this time. Not sure? Ask a team member what they think you’ve done well, or ask your accountability partner or mentor, or even your spouse. Sometimes we need someone else to point out all the great things we’re doing. 

What would you do differently?

You still have 6 months left of 2020. That’s plenty of time to get back in the habit of working on your business consistently. Remember, as a business owner who values relationships, this is your time to shine. People, including those in your network, are craving connection right now. Lean into this opportunity to connect with your network, especially if you’ve taken some time off from your business to deal with the rest of life. Your mantra for the next six months should be Connect, Connect, Connect. 

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” -Viktor Frankl

Can you reach your goals or will you have to readjust them?

If your goals feel out of reach this year, then readjust them. Save the ambitious goals for next year, if you must. Set goals you think you can achieve this year. Who knows, with the pressure off you may find that you come closer to achieving your ambitious goals than you had thought.

Setting a goals course for the rest of 2020

It’s impossible to predict the future. Although we don’t know how long the pandemic and its effects will be with us, we can use the lessons we’ve learned so far to help us chart our course for 2020 and beyond. What lessons will you take with you for the rest of the year?

Reach out

One thing is for sure – people will continue to crave connection with one another. Reach out to your network consistently to check-in and listen for a need that you can fill, either by lending an ear, with your business, or by connecting them to someone who can help. Let Teamzy you stay organized and let you know who to connect with each day. If you’re not sure what to say, use the scripts to help you start the conversation. Remember, your goal is to make their day and provide the bit of sunshine that we all need at this time.

Do your Power Hour

Power Hours are an important part of your business. Although finding a full hour to do your activities and connect with your network is a big ask at this time, try to carve out parts of your day to get it all done. Five minutes here, ten minutes there – it all adds up. The important thing is to connect with the most important people in your network to stay top of mind.  When things return to normal-ish again, you’ll be the person they think of who provided so much positivity and help during a challenging time. 

Become a model of motivation

Your team is observing how you handle your business at this time. By modeling motivation and a can-do spirit at this time, you’re inspiring your team to follow your lead. They’ll feel empowered to model your behavior, including recommitting to their businesses, connecting with their networks, and adjusting their expectations. 

They’re feeling stress as well. Check-in with them, listen to their concerns, and offer reassurance. If you’re modeling the behavior you expect to see, they’ll be more likely to understand how to apply it to their businesses as well. 

Let Teamzy help you stay on track as you aim for your goals

Teamzy makes it easy to set goals and track your progress along the way. Since you’ll always know where you stand, you can make adjustments, if necessary, along the way. It makes connecting with your network fun and easy! If you’re feeling shy or just aren’t sure what to say, Teamzy has you covered with scripts that are proven to work. What are you waiting for? To learn more, click here.