So, it’s nearing the end of January, and this is when they say people stop focusing on the goals, they set just 3 weeks ago. The excitement of the new year is wearing off, the holidays are over, and it’s back to the daily gride of life. But not this year, this year you are going to stick with those goals and here are some ways to do that!
When I set a goal, I always consider what it will take to accomplish that goal and what I am willing to do to make that goal a reality. I am a firm believer that everyone should have goals, but you should also have a plan not just a goal. I thought it might be helpful to have some tips to stick to your goals. This is around the time of year those New Year goals start to get difficult to focus on. Here are 5 things you can do to stay on track with your goals.
- Create a doable plan with milestones markers. Remember a goal without a plan is just a dream. It’s time to put pen to paper and layout what steps you need to take to accomplish your goal(s). Start with one or two goals, develop your plan. Make sure you create milestones markers in your plan. For example, set mini goals, if you have a goal to lose 30lbs this year, in your plan make sure to put milestone markers, such as lose 10lbs by the end of March. If your goal is to read 30 books this year, the milestone marker might be, read 8 books by the end of March. Remember the plan may change throughout the year and that is okay.
- Schedule meetings with yourself to access your progress. This is important. If you have a goal you really want to reach this year, you need to continuously check in with yourself on where you are in reaching your goal. What is working and what isn’t. I use the date of a New Moon to do this for multiple reasons, one- it’s a great day to set new intentions and two- it’s every 30 days. I spend about 30 mins reviewing the previous month and then set my intensions for the next 30 days. And yes I schedule this time on my calendar as an appointment so it doesn’t get skipped.
- Get an accountability partner. Most people do not have the willpower to hold themselves accountable, they need someone to help them. So be honest with yourself, if this is you, do yourself a favor and get an accountability partner. When you are looking for an accountability partner you have to find someone who will truly hold you accountable and not just “make you feel good.” You need someone to be direct and truthful with you. This works for all goals. If you want to get out of debt and you made your plan, pick an accountability partner you give access to your accounts that will see what you have spent, what you have paid off and question you if you fall off track. If you want to lose weight, maybe you text a photo of your weekly food journal and the scale every week to keep you on track. The big thing with an accountability partner is for you to remember you asked this person to hold you accountable so you can’t get upset with them when they do! Leave your ego out of it!
- Don’t rely on motivation. I know that sounds weird, but motivation is fleeting. Motivation is what gets you’re excited and gets you started but it also goes away just as quickly as it came. You need to rely on discipline. Discipline means you do something even when you don’t want to, you do it because you said you were going to do it, you do it because you set a goal. Strengthening your mental toughness is the only way I know to strengthen your discipline. There are many ways to do this, but it is different for every person.
- Celebrate your wins! Remember throughout the year to celebrate the wins in the process. We tend to only focus on the end goal and not all the work we do along the way. Make sure you slow down and celebrate all the progress you have made because a goal is really about the journey of getting there not the goal itself.
I hope these were helpful tips. I also hope you have not given up on your goals for 2023 already. We are not even a month in, keep going this is a journey! If you enjoy this blog please sign up for our weekly newsletter at thejoy-box.com! And share it with anyone who you think would benefit from it.