Setting new goals for yourself can be an exciting time and with 2017 quickly approaching (Hallelujah!) I couldn't think of a better time to write this article. Setting goals and sticking to them, in my opinion, is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world! When I finally complete a goal, I feel immensely accomplished; like I could take on the world and it's all because I worked SO hard to reach it. All the time I hear people say, "well I started out really well, but I didn't stick with it" and that absolutely destroys me to hear. These pieces of advice below, are all things that I just recently started doing in my own life... and honestly - I have NEVER been happier. I want to share that, so if anything in this article helps you - I will feel like I have succeeded.
1. Start small!
Setting your first goal can be EXTREMELY daunting. You are making a huge commitment to yourself! I mean, you wouldn't go on one date with someone and jump into a marriage that same day (or maybe you would - I don't judge) but we can both admit, there's a good chance it wouldn't last. So you cannot treat your goals the same way! You cant expect to set a goal in 2017 to get your bachelors degree, if you have never been to college before. My suggestion is to set little goals for yourself! For example, if you want to open your own business! Start with small goals of pre-planning i.e. saving money, branding, quitting your current job. If you set out in January to start saving a certain amount of Money, start focusing first on how you can budget yourself to save that amount each month. Then in February, continue to save - but now start focusing on how you are going to market your brand! Then March, continue the saving and the marketing, but start thinking of how you are going to tell your boss you are quitting. This way if you dont reach your goal for January, you can re-evaluate and pre-plan for what you need to do for February! Or if telling your boss you're quitting is easy - do that along with your goal for February. Be ambitious with your end goal - but keep your small goals realistic! Keeping your goals small and organized will help you stick with it to get to that state of accomplishment.
2. START NOW!
Why wait any longer? Why wait until January 1st to start your goals when you are fully ready to start NOW! Think about it... You already know your big goal, you have already set up a small goal plan if you read #1, so START NOW! Others who are planning for 2017 are going to start January 1st. And unless they read this fantastic article (#branding LOL) they may not succeed anyways... But what if they do? If you start first, you will probably be accomplished sooner and get that position without as much competition! Plus you have already set your plan and are all excited, why not start right away when you still have all of that inspiration and ambition? Your inspiration is going to be what makes it all worth it when reaching your goal is pushing you to your limits. Without your inspiration, what is driving you to work so hard? The answer is nothing, which is why a lot of us haven't achieved these goals already. Use these first phases and bursts of excitement to accomplish as many small goals as possible! Reaching your end goal will only just happen faster!
3. Try not to compare yourself to others!
How many times have you been doing something and compared yourself to someone right next to you? Lets be honest... it happens all the time! Comparing yourself to others will only hinder your goals and make them less tangible. Self-doubt cannot be apart of your goals... there is just no time for it. Timing is everything when looking towards achieving a goal! If you are so worried about comparing yourself to others around you, your timing will be thrown off and it will be a lot easier to just give up. As a tip - try using just yourself as your motivation! For example, if you are trying to become better at something, whether it be your job, hobby, losing weight, ect.. Use yourself and not someone else! If you want to be a better dancer, take class and focus on what you are capable of doing right now, not what other people in the room may be doing! If you want to lose weight, don't look at other people when you are in the gym - look at old photos that positively motivate you to be a better version of yourself! And track your progress!! If you couldn't land a triple pirouette, but now you can - that is HUGE progress and you should be so proud of yourself! I have also found that when you stop comparing yourself to others, you will find that you are sincerely much happier and enjoy other people's work as well! Instead of being jealous or wishing that you could do what the other person is doing, you are happy with where your journey has brought you right now. Being confident and being the best you is what it's all about!
4. It's okay to have times of discouragement!
One of the best pieces of advice that I can give to you is to brace yourself for failure. It is almost guaranteed that it is going to happen! Whether its a business plan that fails, or you didn't hit your weigh in goal for this month, IT IS OKAY! Having the mentality of knowing that it's okay to fail will most definitely help you succeed. Now I am not saying it's easy - no one likes to fail at something they have been working so hard on... BUT - if you brace yourself mentally for failure, then you will only continue to stay motivated and reach those goals you have set out for! I mean, if your goal was super easy - everyone would do it and the world would just be a boring place. You have to go through trials and tribulations to reach your full potential! “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” - Robert F. Kennedy. This is one of my favorite quotes because it's just so true! If you do not try your hardest, what is the point of even trying? If you try hard, you will fail hard - it's inevitable... But if you try hard and you find success; there is no greater feeling in the world. I promise you!
5. Set LONG TERM and SHORT TERM goals!
This is probably the MOST important tip I can give you for achieving your goals. I started doing this over the last year... I set short term, mid term, and long term goals for myself and whenever I reach one of those goals I am (sometimes overly) proud of myself! For example, if you want to lose weight in 2017 (a large goal & one I have set for myself as well) - set some small goals every month for you to reach to stay on track! January - lose 10lbs, February- lose 7lbs more, March 5 lbs more ect... You will feel much more accomplished being able to see your hard work pay off when you weigh in every month! Hitting those short term or mid term goals will help motivate you to just accomplish your short term goal even sooner! If you were to set a goal of losing 35lbs by June 1st, but you didnt weight yourself until June 1st - there is a chance you won't reach your goal. Who wants a delay like that? Staying positive and keeping up with your short term goals are going to help you stay organized and on track for that Long Term goal you are trying to achieve!
6. Tell your support and forget the naysayers! Never down play your joy!
This is also something I have just recently started to do! Like when I say recently - I mean just this past week! HA! I was always the one to never share what I was doing with friends or I would keep quiet when it came to what I have accomplished. It was never about not wanting to share. Most of the time I was dying to just get it all out; It was mostly being terrified of how it would be received. I feel like a lot of people experience this and I just want you to know that it is okay to be proud of yourself! If you are not proud of yourself why the hell would anyone else be? Talk about your goals so you have someone to keep you honest! If you say you are going to do something, be the person who actually accomplishes it! Finding people who surround themselves with positive people is key. 9 times out of 10 I feel like people don't achieve their goals because they have no support, or they have negative people in their lives telling them they are wasting their time. Find others who have the same or similar goals as you and strive to be a better YOU! Having others around you with likemindedness will really only push you to be stronger and achieve your goals even faster. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a good support. Even if you drive them crazy sometimes talking about what's exciting in your life, don't stop. There is a way to be excited for yourself, without being too over-the-top, braggy. You can be humble without down playing your accomplishments - it's just about finding the right balance. If they truly support you, they will be just as excited to hear your endeavors and share in the accomplishment of your goals!
Finding success within your goals will not be easy - I can almost guarantee that. You will have lots of sleepless nights, exhaustion, and it will be hard. But man oh man - will it ever be worth it. Find support, create a plan, stick with it, and start NOW! Just think - your past has already been written - it cannot be changed, but you hold the cards for the future. YOU get to decide what the outcome is, and I don't know about you - but at the end of 2017 I will be saying, "Wow I accomplished my goals, now it's time to create some more".
Sending good vibes always --
