- 3 minute read
How often do you set yourself a goal only to forget about it in a few days or weeks?
We’ve all done it, right?
All those New Years Resolutions that are forgotten about, the weight loss goal, the get fit goal, the personal development goal, the career achievement goal or that savings goal you had that just never seemed to eventuate?
Now think about the goals that you have achieved...
What was the difference between the ones that you achieved and the ones that you didn’t?
The goals that you do achieve generally have some common factors, such as;
- It is something that you are really passionate about achieving- It is achievable but stretches you to grow- You focus your attention on achieving it- You don’t give up even if it gets hard- You create opportunities that push you towards your goal- You resist situations which take you away from achieving your goal- You take ACTION!
When working towards your goal, you have the choice every day to do things to help you get there.
To ensure that it remains your focus have your goal written down somewhere that you will see it every day. You might put it on a post-it note and stick it on your bathroom mirror, back of the toilet door, or on the fridge. Or you might write it on a card to keep in your purse / wallet so every time you go to pay for something you have a visual reminder. Perhaps you will create a background or screen saver for your computer or phone or a vision board to put up on your wall. There are many creative ways to keep your goal in focus.
To create opportunities to push yourself towards your goal, do something that makes it easier for you. If your goal is to save money then set up an automatic transfer to another account (preferably with limited access) on payday so that it happens without you even needing to think about it. If your goal is to improve fitness or start meditating daily, have a space set up ready to go or buddy up with a friend so you can help each other stay motivated and accountable. If you need more help then engage a professional.
The trick is once you start working towards your goal, keep the momentum going. Try and do something every day towards your goal. It doesn’t matter how small the steps are when you start, once you create the habit it will become easier. If you miss a day or two or it starts to slip your mind, don’t give up! Revisit your goal. Is it still important to you? Is it achievable? There is nothing saying you can’t revise your goal if your priorities change but don’t use that as an excuse to stop completely. If you have engaged the services of a professional (such as a personal trainer or a Financial Wellbeing Coach, for instance) having one session is a good start but don’t expect miracles to happen in one session.
Resisting temptation can be challenging so when you are faced with a decision that will ultimately move you away from your goal then you need to ask yourself, is this temptation more important than my goal? If you choose the temptation, then is your goal really important to you? If you choose the temptation, that doesn’t mean that you can’t still achieve your goal, it may just mean that it will take you a bit longer to get there. Don’t give up.
The important thing is to refocus on your goal.
Ultimately the decision is yours, if achieving your goal is important to you, then you will do anything you can to help yourself achieve it otherwise you will find excuses to justify why you haven’t.
We’ve all done it, right?
All those New Years Resolutions that are forgotten about, the weight loss goal, the get fit goal, the personal development goal, the career achievement goal or that savings goal you had that just never seemed to eventuate?
Now think about the goals that you have achieved...
What was the difference between the ones that you achieved and the ones that you didn’t?
The goals that you do achieve generally have some common factors, such as;
- It is something that you are really passionate about achieving- It is achievable but stretches you to grow- You focus your attention on achieving it- You don’t give up even if it gets hard- You create opportunities that push you towards your goal- You resist situations which take you away from achieving your goal- You take ACTION!
When working towards your goal, you have the choice every day to do things to help you get there.
To ensure that it remains your focus have your goal written down somewhere that you will see it every day. You might put it on a post-it note and stick it on your bathroom mirror, back of the toilet door, or on the fridge. Or you might write it on a card to keep in your purse / wallet so every time you go to pay for something you have a visual reminder. Perhaps you will create a background or screen saver for your computer or phone or a vision board to put up on your wall. There are many creative ways to keep your goal in focus.
To create opportunities to push yourself towards your goal, do something that makes it easier for you. If your goal is to save money then set up an automatic transfer to another account (preferably with limited access) on payday so that it happens without you even needing to think about it. If your goal is to improve fitness or start meditating daily, have a space set up ready to go or buddy up with a friend so you can help each other stay motivated and accountable. If you need more help then engage a professional.
The trick is once you start working towards your goal, keep the momentum going. Try and do something every day towards your goal. It doesn’t matter how small the steps are when you start, once you create the habit it will become easier. If you miss a day or two or it starts to slip your mind, don’t give up! Revisit your goal. Is it still important to you? Is it achievable? There is nothing saying you can’t revise your goal if your priorities change but don’t use that as an excuse to stop completely. If you have engaged the services of a professional (such as a personal trainer or a Financial Wellbeing Coach, for instance) having one session is a good start but don’t expect miracles to happen in one session.
Resisting temptation can be challenging so when you are faced with a decision that will ultimately move you away from your goal then you need to ask yourself, is this temptation more important than my goal? If you choose the temptation, then is your goal really important to you? If you choose the temptation, that doesn’t mean that you can’t still achieve your goal, it may just mean that it will take you a bit longer to get there. Don’t give up.
The important thing is to refocus on your goal.
Ultimately the decision is yours, if achieving your goal is important to you, then you will do anything you can to help yourself achieve it otherwise you will find excuses to justify why you haven’t.