Okay, so we are a few weeks into the new year. Have you locked down your goals for the year? How are they coming along? If you’ve already fallen off, don’t feel bad. I used to go through the same cycle of setting a goal, losing track and having to start all over again until I realized one thing: writing down your goals is NOT enough, you have to create a plan to achieve them, sis. Big picture goals require practical everyday actions to produce results. The only way you will stay motivated to stick to your goals is if you outline clear steps on how to achieve them. Here’s everything you need to know to set goals that you will actually stick to:
Write It Out
The first item of business is to set your goal by writing it out. There is something really powerful about how our brains react to written text. The very act of writing your goals and looking at them periodically may prompt you to get to work. Go buy a pretty journal and write down your goals!
Break It Down
Think back to what we said a little while ago-big picture goals require practical everyday actions to produce results. Once you have written out your goals, list every single step it will take for you achieve it. Break these steps into tasks that need to be completed daily, weekly and monthly. One of my goals this year is to get in shape (big picture) and in order to do that, I need to meal prep (weekly), workout and drink more water (daily) and track my progress (monthly). Getting in shape is the big picture goal but it is the smaller everyday tasks that are going to get me there.
Raise the Stakes
Now that you’ve broken down your goals into practical everyday tasks, it’s time to kick them into gear. Give yourself a deadline to raise the stakes and create a sense of urgency. You want to know why it’s so easy to lose weight before a friend’s wedding or a big vacation? Urgency! Giving your goals a deadline implies that there are consequences for not fulfilling them.
Celebrate, Assess & Repeat
So you’ve set the goal and taken small steps every day to achieve your goal by your deadline. Now what? Celebrate sis! The beautiful thing about accomplishing a goal is that success inspires us to work even harder. And you don’t have to wait until you accomplish the big picture goal to celebrate. Celebrate when you’ve successfully completed your daily and weekly tasks because consistency is an accomplishment too, sis! Once you get ready to move to your next goal, assess what area of the goal-setting process you need to work on. Focus on improving that stage when you repeat the three steps listed above.
So many people believe that achieving your goals is impossible but it doesn’t have to be. By focusing on your big picture goal and creating a realistic plan to get there, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can start crossing items off of your goal sheet. I created the Goal On Girl worksheet for this very reason. It’s designed to help you identify the goals that you want to complete this year and help you create a visual roadmap to get there. Download it for free by signing up with your email below.
