A Fail-Proof Guide for Setting and Achieving Your Goals
The problem with many people’s lives isn’t that they don’t have goals it’s that they don’t follow through on their goals to the end. Studies show that this failure rate at achieving goals can be as high as 93%. If you want to ensure your success in reaching life goals, take note of the following strategies and tactics for setting and achieving goals the right way. It just might change your life.
Step 1 - Align Your Goal With Who You Are
The first step in setting a life goal is to make sure it aligns with who you are as a person. This may sound like I'm telling you to write down that your life goal is to be rich, or famous, or happy - but that's not what I mean. Before you can set any goals, you need to ask I doing? 2) How am I doing it? 3) Why am I doing it? The answers to these questions will give you deeper insight into what makes you tick, and will help direct your life goals in a way that reflects your individual beliefs.
Step 2 - Create an Action Plan
The best way to guarantee that you’ll be able to reach your goals is to create an action plan. An action plan outlines exactly what steps you need to take to reach your goal, when you need to take them, who will help (or hinder) you along the way, etc. Once you have all these questions answered, it should be much easier to accomplish anything you set out to do. Here are a few quick tips on how to create an action plan
Step 3 - Don’t Focus on Outcomes
When it comes to goal setting, a lot of people get hung up on outcomes. The truth is, however, that you should never focus too much on outcomes. After all, there’s no guarantee that your goals will be achieved. Instead of focusing too much on outcomes– focus on where you are now in relation to your goals and work from there. In other words, give yourself some time! Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your new business or project become an overnight success! You have plenty of time... so just enjoy it!
Step 4 - Use Systems to Hold Yourself Accountable
If you’re like most people, your New Year’s resolutions lasted about a week. What happened? You weren’t really clear on what you wanted or why it was important. And once you got busy with other things, it slipped to somewhere in your long list of priorities probably somewhere between daily kitchen cleanings and brushing your teeth. Next thing you know, it was February...your goals were lost in limbo, along with about 90% of everyone else's.
Step 5 - Find a Community Support Group
Another way to stay accountable is to find a community of people who can offer support when you need it. It could be as simple as joining a weight loss or healthy living Facebook group, but there are also plenty of online forums, message boards, and in-person communities that offer support. Pick one (or a few) in which you feel comfortable sharing your struggles. But if you're looking for extra motivation from someone else, going with an accountability partner is an awesome option. When your partner knows what you're up to, he or she will hold you more accountable and vice versa because no one wants to let down their buddy! Before committing to anyone though, remember that relationships come first: make sure you trust them enough before enlisting them in your quest for lasting change!
Step 6 - Have Fun!
Sure, all of your effort might make you want to jump on your bed and break out into a Justin Timberlake song or something but if you get too excited, your focus can fade. And believe it or not, maintaining concentration during a setback can help you overcome future obstacles. Of course, there’s no way to tell in advance how much pain you’ll have to deal with on any given journey (you probably won’t be able to see around corners), but that doesn’t mean getting distracted is okay. When times get tough, keep your head down and stay focused on reaching your goal by asking yourself one simple question: What am I doing right now? Don't let distractions derail you from reaching success!
Steps 7 & 8 - Perseverance & Patience Section: Step 9 - Nurture Yourself Along the Way
While losing weight is often a slow process, it’s not uncommon to feel discouraged when things are taking longer than expected. The good news when your weight loss slows down or stalls but that’s OK. Just stick with your plan!
Step 10 - Stay Focused, Especially When It Hurts
In sports, there’s a well-known saying: Pain is temporary. Pride is forever. In other words, don’t worry about things going wrong; worry about what you’re going to do about it if they do. When you’re trying to lose weight, pain (whether physical or mental) will come. It will hurt when you have to wake up at 4am in a cold sweat because your scale reads an all-time high number, it will sting when friends and family make fun of your decision, it will cut deep when you miss out on an opportunity because of your size (or because someone else makes a negative comment). Do what you need to do in order to stay focused on your goals.