Achieving your goals: Actions for Achievement
You have a new job, a book deal, or even a blog you are excited about. Jumping up and down. So motivated to have this dream and goal. You start researching like crazy making tons of lists and think you are doing everything right.... but then it hits. The "I'm not getting anywhere mood" and sadly most of the time, that is when people give up. Because they feel like it wasn't meant to be.
I was one of those people who gave up. But, then I read "Atomic Habits" by James Clear and "7 effective Habits" by Stephen R. Convey. I was doing it all wrong and didn't even notice it.
2 years ago I wanted to run a marathon. It was something that I wanted to cross off my life goals and I was determined. I bought the right shoes and the right clothes. I made out a plan that was going to work. Or so I thought.
You guys, I had no idea what I was doing. I started running on day one! I was crying when I wasn't able to go past 3 miles without sounding like I was in labor. I even had someone ask if I was dying.
I gave up that week because I didn't think I would ever make it.
"You always pass failure on your way to success.”
This is what I learned after reading and researching how to create goals the right way.
Be Clear on What Your Goal is.
For example; When I wanted to run a marathon I didn't specify which one. I now know that I want to run a 10k Marathon for Mental Health at the closest place that has it or on my own for charity donations.
See what I did, I made specific details on my goals so it will be easier to plan out.
DO NOT SET A TIMELINE ON LONG TERM GOALS
This is something I believe in. Some might be able to say "I have 6 months to run 10k" or "5 months to get a better-paying job". It might work for you. But, New Year resolution example. Most people don't accomplish their long-term goals and give up on them because of timelines.
I am still working on my goal to run a 10k marathon 2 years later and I'm so much better than when I started. The task is to achieve your goals right. I can now run 3 miles after being on bed rest for pretty much 7 months while pregnant. I started out running to walking and got worn out after 2 miles! If I would have given up because of a timeline I wouldn't be where I am at.
Know where you are starting!
Just like traveling to a new town, you have to know where you are starting from first. I didn't know where I was starting from. I just went in and in all directions till I got lost and gave up.
What you need to do is stop and think where am I at right now. Can you run 1 mile and walk half-mile, can you write 1200 words a day, or are you eating unhealthy foods and never exercising. These are things you need to know before writing down your goals and planning.
I know that I could run 2 miles and walk 1 mile when I came back to running. So I made a smaller task sheet to get me to where I want to be.
Set medium-term goals for your main.
So you have your main goals and you have where you are starting. Now let us shrink it down a little bit. What goal can you make to achieve your main one?
I told myself that I will run a 5k first to get myself ready for the 10k and I will get there someday.
Plan how your smaller goals
Now that you have your main goal and so on, it's time for the smaller task. These you can place a time limit on. Larger goals are hard to put a timeline on because life can get in the way and make you feel disappointed and we don't want you to be discouraged.
I told myself I will run 8 miles every week. Granted most of the time I went over and that's ok.
Now the teeny tiny task
Teeny tiny tasks are my favorite. They are simple and easy to achieve. Break down that small task into smaller ones. Ones that you can achieve daily with no problem.
I run 2 miles per day 4 days a week. Monday-Wednesday and on Friday. Thursdays are for date nights and weekends are for writing. So I have the day I run written down so I see them every day and they are planned out as a non-negotiable plan.
Lastly the habits
This is one I don't see anyone talking about when it comes to your goals. The habits you make are the most important rule when achieving a goal.
I read an article about a man who made it a habit to drink water every morning and night to lose weight. Over time he ended up losing all the weight that he wanted. All because of one simple yet powerful habit.
What is a habit you can create for yourself to practice daily? For me it is simple. I laid out my workout clothes every night and had my coffee and water bottle ready to go for in the morning.
I've been doing it so long now that it's a habit that I do every night.
I hope this article was a lot of help for you! Please join my Facebook group Bipolar DragonFly to tell me what your goals and steps are that you take every day.
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Until next time my loves remember, you are strong, you are beautiful, and you are HELLA freaking powerful.
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