4 Easy Steps to Achieve Your Goals

2017 is in full swing, many of us made New Year Resolutions at the end of last year.  And, if you are anything like me, your New Year Resolutions were lofty and now you might even be questioning your ability to Achieve Your Goals.   For me, I’m not only going to lose the last of my baby weight, but I’m going to also get fit.  But that’s not all, as I happen to be the mom of the KelloggShow family, my goals for 2017 extend all the way out to improving in snowboarding, kayaking and climbing, nailing tricks and pushing myself harder.  And then, of course, travel.  Travel being the seemingly most achievable goal of them all, because that’s what we do … we travel.

 

But, we travel in an RV and my goal this year is to go South.  No, not to Florida or Texas, but much further South, as in Mexico and beyond.  I would love to travel to Costa Rica and Guatemala via RV (because let’s face it, a family of 14 faces serious financial challenges when talking about flying).

We have been “talking” about making this trip for about two years now, but never really started to plan it, primarily because I fail in the planning department.  But, there is this great saying, “failing to plan, is planning to fail,” and that’s exactly what’s been happening.  This trip is not like any other we have taken, there are things that have to happen, that we have to make happen, prior to September.

We have to make steps toward this goal in these early months of 2017 or another year will go by and we won’t take this trip of a lifetime.  It’s not unlike most of our goals, really, you know they don’t just happen.  And so, I’ve taken the liberty of bringing to you 4 of the best ways to Achieve Your Goals, no matter what they are!

What Are Your Goals?

Obviously it’s important to have clear goals in mind, and even adding a why? To the equation will help you stay on track and Achieve Your Goals immensely when the going gets tough.  My why always revolves around my family.  Why travel?  The family.  Why Costa Rica?  The family.

Now there is a reason you set these Resolutions that wild n crazy New Years Eve, so respect that desire and do something about it.

Having a clear idea of what it is you want to accomplish and why is paramount to your success.  So take a moment and write your Resolutions down on paper and fine tune your why.  It could be you want to switch jobs or careers … writing this down and explaining to yourself why will help motivate you and also keep a clear reason in your head for those times when it just seems impossible and you are second guessing yourself.

Proclaim Your Goals

That’s right, shout them from the rooftop, post on facebook, tell your friends and family because somehow, in the world of the unconscious mind, you feel accountable to your friends and family when you tell them your goals.

Also if you have amazing people in your life, they will help support you in your quest, they will help get you back on track when you experience setbacks and celebrate your successes!  But, I think the thing that works the best is that once you’ve told everyone that you are trying to accomplish a certain goal, if you don’t do it, you’ll experience some serious embarrassment.  I dunno about you, but I hate to fail and failing publicly is unacceptable!  So if you want to Achieve Your Goals, tell everyone you can exactly what they are!

Break It Up

That’s right, sometimes our goals are so huge that they begin to take on a life of their own and before you know it, we quit before we even really get started, like mid-January.  So, to avoid this pitfall, take baby steps.  For instance, I am jonesing to go to Costa Rica, so in honor of starting small,  I could plan a trip that takes me just south of the border into Mexico for a week or so, to get my feet wet, so to speak.

Or maybe you are wanting to lose weight.  Break your 50 (or whatever) pound goal into reachable segments, so you have something to celebrate as you are working toward the big 50.

Set a Finish Line

I don’t know about you, but having a goal with no end time is akin to torture.  I work best on a deadline, so having something concrete on a calendar that I’m working toward pretty much forces my hand to actually do the work required to meet my goal.

For instance, I am currently doing a 30-day HIIT challenge, no sugar, no alcohol, totally not sustainable for the long-haul, but for 30 days I think I can survive.

Or perhaps your goal is to run a half-marathon?  By finding and registering for a run you are not only putting a time-clock on your goals, but you are putting money where your mouth is.  It’s much harder to keep pushing off the training if you see the date approaching.

There’s a great quote about comfort zones and how nothing new or amazing ever happens from within our comfort zones.  Sure, it’s awesome to cuddle up on the couch with a cup of tea and a great book, but you aren’t going to impart change.

One of the things we did last year that we were terrified of doing was a full-on speaking engagement – at an RV show.  Now, we’ve done RV shows before, but this Snowbird RV Show was in Canada and it was for four straight days with two 45 minute speeches daily.  Talk about outside my comfort zone.  But the contacts we made, the doors that were opened, the friends we made … all made the hard work so worth it!

So, let’s get going, let’s get uncomfortable and slay our New Year Resolutions!  Together.

Comment below and tell us what your Resolutions are, what your goals are … what are you willing to give up comfort for?