Are you looking for ways to stay motivated and ultimately achieve your goals? This post is definitely for you.
Most people, at one point or another in their lives, have written down goals to achieve and plans they want to set in motion.
In fact, if you are like most of us, you probably write New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of each year and promise yourself that this time around, you will achieve everything on the list.
But as usual, you don’t, until the last quarter of the year, when you suddenly remember that you wrote down some goals at the beginning of the year.
This is a common occurrence for most people. It shows that writing down goals is easy for anyone; the real work is in staying focused and sustaining the initial motivation to achieve those goals.
To help you stay focused and motivated long enough to achieve your set objectives, here are eight steps you can start taking today.
1. Write down your goal
Writing down your goal is important. Fortunately, most people understand this.
That is why they are quick to make New Year resolutions and write out objectives they intend to achieve.
Writing out your goals helps your mind visualize them.
But, to maintain the initial drive and motivation you felt when writing your goals for the first time, we recommend that you write them down not once, but daily.
Doing this reminds you of your objectives and gives you the daily drive to achieve your goals.
2. Break your goals into smaller SMART goals
Research shows that writing goals that are not SMART; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, makes achieving them confusing and almost impossible.
SMART goals give you a sense of direction and focus. They are very effective for sustaining motivation so that you can achieve your goals.
Take, for instance, someone who writes down an objective to read ten books during the year.
After writing down this very ambiguous goal, the next step the person takes is to find out what kind of books they want to read: finance, marketing, investment, lifestyle, parenting, etc.
After deciding on a niche, the person researches the particular book they would like to read in the first month.
The person then downloads a daily reading plan that divides the book into chapters they can read per day.
Compare this person to another who writes down the goal of reading ten books in the year without breaking down their goal.
It is clear that by breaking down the goal into smaller SMART objectives, the first person would be able to maintain focus. Hence, it is easy for them to stay motivated and measure their daily progress towards attaining their overall goal.
3. Set a general and specific timeline to achieve your goals
Setting a timeline for your goals will turn on the pressure to achieve them.
A general deadline is the time frame within which you must have achieved the entire goal.
A specific timeline refers to the daily or monthly duration set for achieving the smaller goals, which are subsets of the larger goals.
4. Accountability
Knowing that you will have to answer to someone about how far you have gone in achieving your set goals can help you stay motivated and focused on achieving the goals and meeting deadlines irrespective of how you feel.
However, it is necessary to choose someone you respect and can easily talk to.
5. Set the right goals
The ability to constantly stay motivated to achieve your goals is tied to the kind of goals you set.
Avoid setting goals based on something a loved one has said or what you think people want from you.
The goals you set should be in line with what you want or desire for yourself. Something that puts a smile on your face, gets your heart racing, your pulse beating, and keeps you up at night.
By setting goals you want, you can easily stay motivated to work towards them even when it gets rough.
6. Use your imagination to achieve your goals
Another way to stay motivated toward your goal is to imagine what your life will be like when you achieve it. [Tweet that]
For instance, if you intend to lose 10 kg by December, visualize how good you will look, the compliments you will get, and how confident you will feel.
This will encourage you to get up and exercise even if you feel tired or are not in the mood.
Utilizing the power of your mind to imagine how you would feel when you finally attain that goal will refuel you with the energy to keep working towards it.
7. Surround yourself with people of like mind
Bad company corrupts good manners. So, too, the wrong group of friends can discourage you from attaining your goal.
It is necessary to surround yourself with people of like passion; people who are zealous about the same things as you.
Even if you cannot find such people within your vicinity, ensure to plug into relevant networks and communities with positive individuals. Take deliberate steps to associate with people who want nothing but to see you happy and successful.
By so doing, you will be able to tap into their energy and be encouraged by their words and conversations to keep pushing towards your goal even when you are losing focus.
8. Achieve your goals in your mind
Rather than saying things like “I do not know if I can achieve this, ” say “I believe I will achieve this by the set date.”
It is necessary to have a positive mindset to stay motivated and achieve your goal.
A practical way to do this is by writing down your goals using “I will” statements.
For instance, “by the 20th of December, I would have lost 10 kg, or by the end of October, I would have finished reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad.”
You can also write down positive quotes you can recite each day.
Carrying out exercises like this will conform your mind and help you develop a positive outlook on life.
Question: What are your goals for this quarter? How will these tips facilitate the process of achieving them? Join the conversation in the comments.