My Most Impossible Goal
This week I talked to a close friend who’s starting a consulting business after spending the last 25+ years in corporate.
She’s feeling a healthy (and understandable) mix of excitement and anxiety, so I was talking her through how to weather the inevitable periods of panicky overwhelm.
I get it because I’ve always had mixed feelings about my own self-employment.
Being in charge of your own destiny is exhilarating in its possibilities and terrifying in its risks.
I love the freedom. But sometimes I just want someone to tell me what to do and deposit money into my bank account every two weeks.
But at the end of the day, I do truly believe that I have more control over my income than someone in corporate who could be laid off at any moment.
Taking control
I’ve talked about this before, but I spent a lot of time NOT being in control of my pipeline and cash flow.
For me, a big part of making the transition from the Flailing & Fucking Around Era to building with intention involved setting some big goals.
In my earlier days of business, I’d been afraid of setting goals. If I didn’t set them, I couldn’t fail them.
Guess how that worked out for me.
But then seven years ago, I started thinking about divorce. It felt inevitable AND impossible because I was terrified I’d never be able to support myself on my own.
I’d stepped back from my business for a few years, and it had been a minute since I’d made real money. And if we’re being honest, I’d never really made enough to support my current lifestyle. But I knew I had to try.
Goals are scary. And important.
Just as I was making the first moves to resuscitate my business, a friend invited me to a goal-setting workshop she was hosting. The timing couldn’t have been better. I was scared, but I knew it was important.
“Set an impossible goal and write it down,” she said.
So I did. And immediately started sweating.
“Now cross it out and write an even bigger one.”
Now I was REALLY sweating. And I was absolutely convinced that this goal was truly impossible.
The framework that worked.
But we didn’t just jot down numbers. We got specific.
She also had us write down:
The exact date and time we’d hit our goal
All the reasons it felt impossible
Strategies our future selves could use to overcome those obstacles
Qualities we needed to develop to accomplish the goal
And the most important question ⤵️
→ How we’d take MASSIVE action towards our impossible goal.
I left with a list of 10 concrete steps.
If one didn’t work? No problem. I had nine more to try. And of course I kept adding to the list over time.
Within 6 months, I was close enough to my “impossible” goal to ask for that divorce.
Okay, your turn.
As we head into summer, it’s worth pausing to check in on where you are with your goals.
If you’re crushing it, keep going.
If you’re feeling behind or skipped beginning-of-the-year goal setting, don’t panic. You’ve still got 7 months. And a lot can change in 7 months.
It’s time to get specific about what you want and how you’re going to get there.
Two questions for you:
→ What would make the rest of 2026 feel like a win?
→ What’s one big move you could make in the next 90 days?
I’m rooting for you.
Goodies Just For You
WHAT I’M THINKING ABOUT: Want some joy and inspiration in your Instagram feed? Check out Max & Mife, The Colourful Couple. They deliver the most incredible color-coordinated fashion moments. I’m always thrilled when they pop up in my feed.
WHAT I’M MAKING: Alison Roman’s Blueberry Cornmeal Tart. I bake a lot of Alison Roman stuff because I’m obsessed with her Sweet Enough cookbook. I also read her newsletter religiously. So far there was only one miss—the cottage cheese cake. I know — I should have known. It sounds weird. But I trusted her and I was wrong. The Blueberry Cornmeal Tart is fucking delicious, though. It tastes like summer. No notes.
WHO I’M ADMIRING: A strong sales game is another crucial part of hitting those goals. I recently did Elizabeth Couch’s Discovery Call Diagnosis and I found it super valuable! Highly recommend. Also — if you think of summer as being a slow period for sales, it does’t need to be. Check out Elizabeth’s Summer Sales Circle. This cohort is capped at 10 founders, so get thee on her waitlist now!
