Is your goal setting making you unhappy?
Have you ever created a goal and got frustrated because of it?
Are you trapping yourself with your goal setting strategies?
Now is the time to learn better strategies that will take you straight to success while having fun during the process of getting there because when you apply this advice you will get there!
A goal is something you want to have or something you want to change in your life. It is basically a project you can manage in a smart way so that in the end you’ll find yourself where you wanted to be when you stated your goal, and began to take steps towards making it happen. But first it starts out in your mind and adopting better thinking strategies followed by powerful action actually will ensure your success, which is what you want do you not?
Many if not most of the people make New Year’s resolutions and set up goals to quit shortly after that because they feel unhappy and frustrated. The reason is, they constantly compare their actual unsatisfying situation with the ideal goal they want to reach and the only thing they can see is the wide gap between the two places. You feel unhappy and you end up spending lots of energy to keep you constantly motivated when you don’t feel like doing anything because it is impossible to be motivated all the time. And before long you quit!
In other words, if you delay any kind of gratification or feelings of satisfaction until the ideal goal is completely achieved, you are actually making sure you will not accomplish your goal. Some goals can’t be achieved over night so the more you delay the good feelings you think you’ll have when you achieve your final goal, the more difficult it will become to achieve. It is that simple!
There is another aspect of unsuccessful goal setting, watch out! If you decide you are a success only and only if you shed off these 30 pounds or when you are a millionaire, perhaps when you buy that Mercedes and have it standing in your drive way, then you are trapped in a place where there is not escape, as you will be denying yourself any good feelings to keep going unless you do it the way I am about to share with you.
If you wanted to cross over a river, you would use a bridge to walk on until you reach the other side and if you wanted to grab something that sits on a high shelf you would use a ladder, so why would accomplishing a goal be any different?
Now, what can you do differently and in the present moment to ensure your goals will be successfully accomplished and with fun?
Pick a goal: what do you want?
It can be anything but let’s take the example of a weight loss goal.
Solution 1: make a power decision. What is the first thing you will notice when heading towards your goal? What is the first success?
You want to shed off 20 pounds so if you notice that you shed 2 pounds on your way, congratulate yourself and keep going. Do more of the things you notice bring about success.
Build a bridge between where you were when you started and your final goal. You simply make smaller steps and these little goals will be easy to achieve. The result will surprise you because it will lead you straight to your wished big goal. Keep going and keep rewarding yourself and feeling good about what you’ve already achieved while feeling certain that sooner or later you will be at your final destination!
Solution 2: keep a journal of your progress and successive successes on the way to your goal. People tend to forget what they have already achieved and where they were when they started their journey towards a goal, so by keeping it all written down you can go back any time and see how far you’ve come already and that will keep you on track and highly motivated. It makes the whole project fun and worth going for.
These two important strategies will show you that you are a success and that you dont have to wait for any final result to feel good about it or about yourself. In fact whatever feelings you think or believe you will have when your goal has manifested in the real world, start on your way by having them right now and build your bridge to success from then on.
What you’ve learned so far to achieve a goal with success is this: it is very helpful to have a concrete and easy way to track your progress. Find a way to make your goal as concrete as possible and break it down to smaller steps you can accomplish with success.
And to make your goal achievement even easier and more of a success follow these steps:
Choose a goal
Check whether the goal is good for you and will enrich your life
Find the resources that will help you achieve your goal: information, people to help you, advice
Prioritize your goal so you keep hitting your target until you hit it finally
Track your goal, the progress and success journal will help you with that
The freedom to change or even discard your goal if you dont want it anymore or if it no longer suits you
What now? If you have goals that you’ve already started working on, make them easy to track and start your progress and success journal. Walk the bridge step by successful step, all the way to your final success!
Karima Begag
