Goal Setting

New year, new me!!! We all set New Years resolutions, but seldom achieve them. We get so excited for a “fresh start” to be who we want to be, but why is it so hard for us to follow through on these resolutions or other goals we set?

Last year my goal was to read one book a month for a total of 12 books in 2018. I made it through September, but fell short the last few months because truthfully I got lazy and I wasn’t making it a priority. Now, I was definitely disappointed in myself, BUT thinking that I read nine books in a year did make me proud! I didn’t accomplish what I intended, but I know why I failed and what to do to prevent that again.

My message here is that you should always keep working at who you want to be and what you want in life! Priorities are everything. You can’t do it ALL all the time. Pick what you want to work on and go from there. I promise you a lot of other things will fall into place once you start actually working on yourself. KEEP SETTING GOALS! Yes, you will fail sometimes or make mistakes or take longer to get to the result, but you are human and no one is perfectly diligent all the time. You’re learning and working on yourself and that is everything.

I’ve learned a lot about goal setting over the past few years and practiced it in my personal life and professional life. I want to share how I’ve successfully achieved a goal and the steps I took to get there. It’s not something everyone does (or does with a real intention of completing), but it’s definitely something everyone should learn to do the right way if they want to succeed! You need to take serious action and follow the proper steps because achieving a goal is a big deal and it takes work! These are a few helpful tips I would recommend to make sure you get the results you want with whatever goal it may be!

1. Be realistic about your goals and why you want to achieve them. Think about where you are now and what it will take to get where you want to be. Don’t expect to complete something without putting in the work. Be smart, but also realize you are capable of way more than you think. Make a schedule and plan a timeline for checking progress and completion.

2. Write all this down! I’m not kidding; GET A JOURNAL or even a flow chart and document it all!! It’s not easy to just say you want to lose 10lbs… you need to write down where you are now, why you want to lose the weight, and the steps you’re going to take to get there… like, exercise 3 times a week, drink half your body weight in ounces of water, cut out desserts, etc. Write down how you feel now and how you will feel when you get back into those skinny jeans or feel confident in that swimsuit! Having all of this information at your fingertips will make the process easier and motivate you! I can’t stress this part enough – write down your goals whether they are annual, monthly, or even daily! It is proven that we are more likely to do something if it is written down and read all the time! I use post-it notes A LOT. Slap those suckers up on your mirrors and doors. They will remind ya!

3. Have an accountability partner!! Find someone to keep you on track and motivate you! Even better – find someone who wants to join in on goal setting and help each other! I promise you if you have to report to someone about your progress, you are going to be so much more likely to stay determined and succeed. No one likes to look weak, am I right?

4. Stay positive. Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life. Constantly think of that person you want to be and show up that way! It’s okay if you slip and mess up, but get back on track and try again! If you realllllly want something you’ll find a way, if not then you’ll find an excuse.

You got this!