It can be hard to believe that the beginning of another new year is here and moving with full steam ahead. It is said that 44 percent of Americans try to start some new habit and a little over half will complete their mission. So do you ever find yourself asking yourself this very question, ” How do I set a goal, and how do I achieve it?”
That can be a loaded question of course depending on what you are trying to achieve. In 2024, are you wanting to declutter your home? Start a new workout regimen, eat more fiber or find time to invest in a new skill? Whatever your goal may be I have found a few tips and tricks to help me attain my goals.
Tips for Achieving Goals
1. Have accountability.
This could mean a variety of things depending on your goal of course. Maybe you are wanting to workout three times a week so you have a spouse or friend go with you. Maybe that is not possible so you set a reminder in your phone and the alarm reminds you when you need to go. Feel free to reach out to a friend, co- worker, spouse or neighbor and have them ask you about how things are going with your goal so that you can be held accountable.
2. Plan it out.
Another helpful tip is to keep a notebook or calendar so that you schedule the time to work on this goal. This way if it is on your task list then you are reminded to get it done. Also, with all the technology we have now you can set reminders, alarms or schedule on your paper calendar or electronic calendar, I do not think you can have enough reminders. If you are anything like me always thinking about five hundred things all at once, just a reminder is extremely helpful.
3. Just take it one step at a time.
Often times, it can be consuming to choose a goal and just focus on the end result. I find that if I take it day by day, then it doesn’t feel so overwhelming. Once I decided to train for a half marathon, I knew this would take a lot of effort each day to achieve this goal. Each day I tried to focus only that one run for that day. Every Sunday I would look at my goal for the week and just take it one mile at a time. By breaking this down each week and daily, it helped me to chip away little by little. So just ask yourself, “what do I need to do today and right now to be one step close?”
4. Track your progress.
This is so important. Sometimes when we set out to achieve a task and very quickly we hear the voice in your head and sometimes that voice is not very positive, so track your progress. One of the ways I do this personally is each month at the beginning of the month and at the end. I start the month by setting up my affirmation for the month, my family goals, my health goals, my personal growth and my finances. I do this so I can see what I was able to get done and where I can improve. It is not always fun to self reflect, but being fearful of it does not help us grow.
5. Give your self grace.
This one is huge, especially for us mommas. Sometimes you are going to win big and feel on fire, somedays you will fail. Failure is OK, and you need to be able to remind yourself that the next day is a new day and you can change what happens tomorrow. Don’t relish in the guilt or shame or frustration, but remind yourself that you can do hard things and this is just one day or just one set back.
My hope is that any mom out there reading this feels a little bit of spark and encouragement to keep pressing on and know that you are not alone in this!
