Review, Revise, & Reach Your Goals

  
Seeing as we’re already several weeks into the New Year and its ‘resolutions’, I decided to blog about goals and why people fail to accomplish them.
 
   How many times have you (or someone you know) said that you are going to lose 50 or more pounds, exercise for an hour everyday, or cut out all processed foods and sugar, only to give up a few weeks, or even a few days later? I know these goals are made with the best intentions (the motivation to go out and do something grand), but they lack planning, i.e., a sequence of steps necessary to reach the goal. Without a plan, it is inevitable that you will stumble and fail.
To be honest, I don’t like the idea of making a New Year’s resolution. Many of us see the New Year as an opportunity to begin with a clean slate. I’ve come to see it as a day people use to prolong living a life that they deep down want to change. 
 
 According to studies, more than 80% of people who make New Year’s resolutions give them up by Jan 20^th. Maybe some of you reading this now are part of that 80% and have already fallen back into your old habits. If so, I want you to do the following before you read on:
  1) Take a deep breathe, exhale slowly.
  2) Accept that shit happens.
  3) Tell yourself you will try again today.
   No one ever said that achieving goals is easy. That being said, if you have the right mindset and determination, any goal is attainable. Simply saying that you will change your ways isn’t enough; you need a well thought out plan. The following tips can help you get started:

Don’t Procrastinate: When you decide that you want to make a change in your life, you have to commit yourself to it immediately. Not tomorrow, not next week, right now. Putting off your goal just sets you up for failure. It’s like putting off household chores; the longer you leave it, the more you’ll dread doing it.

Make Short Term Goals:  Imagine that your goal is to lose 50 pounds. The best way to reach this goal is to setup a series of milestones. For instance, maybe you could lose 5 pounds a month for 10 months. This approach can help you attain your ultimate goal because you’ve given yourself short-term objectives. Losing 5 pounds over a month not only provides a realistic time frame for your ultimate goal, but also makes it seem more possible (and a whole lot less stressful).

Be Specific: When setting a goal, don’t be vague with the details. Consider asking yourself the following questions: What do I really want to achieve?  Why do I want to accomplish this goal in the first place?  Given my other life circumstances, how can I accommodate my daily routine to achieve this goal?  The more detailed your goals are, the easier it will be to achieve them.

See Your Success: Create a chart that outlines your short-term goals. Use this to track your progress. As you reach certain milestones, check them off as having been completed. Not only will you feel good crossing out each goal as you complete it, but you’ll become more motivated as you approach your ultimate goal.

Accepting Fall Backs:  There will always be bumps along the way, so you might as well learn to embrace them and find a way to use them to your advantage. Setbacks can fuel your motivation just as much as success can. Try to view them as a learning experience, and if you can, take comfort in the determination that you won’t let them happen again.

Reward Yourself: Setting goals to improve your life is important, but don’t forget to reward yourself once you’ve attained them. Remember that there are no small accomplishments, just accomplishments. Reaching a milestone that you have set for yourself is an achievement, and achievements deserve rewards. However, the reward you give yourself should never be something that sets you back. For example, if you are trying to lose weight, don’t reward yourself with unhealthy food!

"A goal without a plan is just a wish" - Antoine de Saint-Exuperys