There is always more to want in life: more money to buy more things and look happier. It's not a bad thing to strive for more. It's actually quite good to have something or some goal to look forward to and work towards. But are we actually moving towards it or are we just wanting it? Are we setting small, realistic mile markers in the journey of achieving our big goal or constantly looking at how far down the road it is?

The latter is a lot more common. It's easy to see things that we want: to lose 10 pounds, to get that promotion, to start your own business and it's headfirst in the beginning. We're all in and have tunnel vision, then something throws us off and we're knocked off our rocker. Suddenly, we're discouraged and not wanting to go to the gym or put in the extra work to be recognized. Then it's back to the same old, same old until the next bit motivation strikes us and we're back to where we started, all in until something goes wrong.

Here's the reality of it. There's always going to be something that happens that's unexpected. Whether it be that you had a late night taking care of the kids so an early morning gym session doesn't sound appealing, or that someone else got the promotion you were working towards, there is still something that can be done to move you one step closer to your goal. It may be deciding to give your body the sleep it needs and go to the gym after work or continuing to go the extra mile in the work you're focusing on to get recognized. Whatever it is, there's always a way to move forward. And if one day you don't, then decide that from this moment on, you will. One small failure shouldn't result in giving up.

It's also much easier to strive towards big goals when you have mile markers along the way. If losing 10 pounds is your goal, mile markers such as going to the gym four days a week, drinking water instead of soda for two weeks, getting eight hours of sleep, etc. are great ways to keep you motivated and going!.

My challenge for you is to reflect on what you want to achieve in the next month or 6 months or year. Write that goal out and then work backward to set mile markers. Find an accountability buddy to keep you on it when you find yourself discouraged. And most importantly, allow yourself to celebrate those small wins because no matter how small they are, it's the combination of all of them that gets you to your big goal!