It’s Time To Successfully Start Setting Goals
There is a famous quote that says ” People do not decide their future, they decide their habits and their habits decide their future. “ – F.M Alexander. This quote really sums up the heart behind this blog post. Goals can be challenging because it requires you to take the dream and put it into work by creating a habit. If you have a desire to tackle a goal but just don’t know how or haven’t been successful in doing so, this post is for you. We are going to break down three keys for successful goal setting so that you can create the outcome you’re longing for.
Key # 1
Set the “Right” Goal
When it comes to goal setting it’s extremely important that you set the right goal with the right intention behind it. When the moments get tough and you want to give up it will be important that you have something bigger than yourself to spur you on. Mark Murphy, CEO of Leadership IQ, a leadership training and research company, has a fabulous acronym that will help you with this first key.
It is HARD.
- Heartfelt: Having an emotional attachment to your goal.
- Animated: Motivated by a vision, picture, or movie in your mind.
- Required: Goals need to feel so urgent and necessary that you have no other choice but to start acting on them immediately.
- Difficult: Drag you out of your comfort zone, activating your senses and attention.
Key # 2
Break It Down
How do you climb a mountain? One step at a time. Goals can feel daunting and overwhelming when we look at the end goal versus where we are starting. In order to be successful in accomplishing your goal, it’s best to break it down into bite-size actionable steps that you can do every day.
If your goal is to eat healthier, then one daily step might be packing your own lunch, drinking a glass of water every morning, or cutting out your morning coffee and replacing it with something healthy. If your goal is to start exercising a daily step could be finding a 10-minute video you do every day or setting your alarm for 30 minutes earlier so that you can get a quick workout in each morning. Any small daily step you take is a good one.
Key # 3
Track Your Progress
Accountability is so important for the human spirit. It requires mindfulness, acceptance, honesty, and courage. When you track your progress it gives you a clear picture of how you have been implementing those baby steps you mapped out. It can be a great idea to have certain rewards at every marker so that it gives you something to look forward to on the journey.
When tracking your progress it’s important to eliminate shame and guilt especially if the results are not as you had hoped or expected. This is about creating long-term habits, not short-term results that will fade away.
If you have not been sticking to your daily action steps then just re-adjust, shake it off, and get back on track. If you have been diligent in your efforts then celebrate and continue on. What is important here is keeping yourself accountable to the goal you have set forth for yourself and celebrating any wins along the way.
Final Thoughts:
The bigger your goal the more organization, motivation, and intentionality it will require. If you’re prepared to put in the effort of making a step-by-step plan and following it to the best of your ability, it’s time to set your sights high and get started. These three keys will help you cultivate a mindset for growth, diligence, and self-discipline which will create an atmosphere to successfully accomplish any goal.
Have Questions?
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