Have you ever had a passion, a desire so great to achieve something important to you that you cannot stop thinking about it at any time?
It is a thought that is there in your head and it does not go away whatever you do. Some call it “having a dream”, others “achieving a goal”, but whatever its name is, it is something we all want to achieve.
However, why do many of us do nothing to achieve what we want?
The answer is simple: because most of us do not set strategies to achieve our personal goals.
We have a dream and we decided to fulfill it, But we do not realize that to be successful in our journey we must plan the steps we will take and have the right attitude to get to the end.
I have proposed many things myself in my life, but I have not managed to achieve even half of them because I did not have the mentality or the organization that I needed to make them happen.
And it is very frustrating when you put so much hope into something that in the end it is not fulfilled.
3 years ago I started to get tired of living like this, of seeing that all the personal goals that I had never come to fruition and become reality because I did not know what steps to take that would bring me closer to them.
So I signed up for a mindfulness course focused on achieving goals, and these are the 10 powerful strategies to achieve the goals that I learned from experience.
10 simple steps to achieve personal goals that never fail me:
1. Commitment is the key to everything:
You’re at work, doing the dishes at home, or getting ready to pick up your kids from school, and suddenly you have a great idea to write a book.
You are sure that this will be a great opportunity for you because it is something that you have been dreaming of for a long time, and you cannot wait to finish all the remaining tasks to get to work with it.
So when that moment comes, and you stand in front of the computer, your mind goes blank and you don’t know what to write.
You blame yourself, your work and not having free time to write your book, and at that moment you give up and put your dream of being a writer on hold.
With this example what I want you to see is that to achieve a goal you not only need motivation: you must also have a firm commitment to achieving it.
In this case, the commitment would be to sit at your desk and not give up if the ideas do not come to you immediately to write that book you dream of so much.
I know that sometimes it’s easier to throw in the towel as soon as you hit the first stone on the road rather than struggle to overcome that hurdle.
But giving up so fast is precisely the reason why today you regret not having pursued and fulfilled most of your dreams in the past.
2. Be consistent and don’t give up:
If what you want is to be successful in whatever you set your mind to, in addition to committing, you must be constant and persevere.
First, set a specific goal: what you want to achieve, the exact date to take the first step, how long you want to achieve it…
And then you just have to follow that plan and commit to sticking to it.
3. Enjoy the ride:
Do you know why many people do not achieve their goals? Because they focus only on the negative things of the trip until they reach the destination instead of enjoying and seeing it in a positive way.
I’m sorry to be the one to tell you about it, but even the simplest goals have some part of the road that won’t be easy to navigate.
We all want to get to the top of the mountain, but only those who are not discouraged when the slope is more difficult to climb are those who succeed.
Instead of just thinking about the difficult things you will have to overcome, look around you and notice the positives of your journey to get the motivation you need when the less beautiful part arrives.
4. Start each day with a positive phrase:
Although it goes without saying, we often forget what is most important: that having a positive mind is what makes our results positive as well.
Positive thoughts are the fuel that in the future will give you the strength to start and continue your journey.
They will keep you wanting to move forward, experiment, and learn, and will push you to keep going when you have a low moment and want to give up.
That is why a good strategy to achieve your goals is that every day when you wake up, read some phrases that fill you with motivation and inspiration.
You can write these phrases in a notebook that you usually have on hand, or place them in a corner of your house that you usually see frequently (such as the door of your refrigerator, a corner of the wall of your room, etc.).
5. Don’t get too comfortable:
Nobody likes to get out of their comfort zone where everything is familiar and safe. It is our domain, our kingdom, where we know what to do to jump an obstacle easily.
But what you can’t wait for is to get something you don’t have by staying where you are right now.
Also, remember that many of the things you have accomplished in the past scared you at first when you didn’t know how to do them. But in the end, you did it and you can do it again now!
Don’t let fear keep you from your dreams. Get out there and challenge yourself even if there is a chance you will be wrong.
When we learn the most is when we make mistakes that help us improve as people.
6. Distractions are your enemy:
Do you remember the first example I gave you about writing a book? Imagine that you have already committed to it and you are in front of your computer screenwriting it.
You receive an email from a friend, and you read it out of curiosity. And suddenly, you find that you’ve wasted an entire hour of your time watching YouTube videos and looking at your Facebook profile to see if your friends have uploaded any new photos from their weekend.
And when you try to write again, the inspiration you had has disappeared and you have been left blank.
Distractions are the most dangerous enemy we have today and they waste precious time that we could invest in more valuable activities.
Those YouTube videos, or the publications of your friends, will always be there so that you can see them in your moments of relaxation when you have free time.
But the hours and minutes when they leave, never come back.
So maintain your discipline and avoid anything that distracts you when you are trying to reach your goals.
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7. Plan your goals ahead of time:
Your job, doing housework, taking care of your children if you have them, or many other reasons that exist in your life can make you barely have time left or you cannot get the motivation you need to meet that goal that you have marked.
That is why it is very important that you organize yourself and plan the steps you will take in advance.
If you have more free hours in the morning, or you feel that it is when you are most active, set schedules at that time to take the necessary steps to fulfill your dreams.
On the other hand, if you have more hours after eating, in the afternoon, or on weekends, make a space there for the goal you have set for yourself.
This is one of the most important strategies to achieve goals that you must take into account if you want to reach your destination successfully (and especially not to give up along the way).
8. Accept your mistakes:
Not accepting that you have made a mistake is not only counterproductive, but it is also immature.
A mature woman or man accepts their mistakes, knows what the reality is, and is not afraid to face their imperfections.
Because the reality is that nobody is perfect, and that is precisely what makes us human beings so special (if we were all perfect, it would be very boring!).
Although there will be times when we cannot be objective with ourselves, we have to know how to realize when we have made a mistake.
This is vital because by doing so you will realize your mistakes, you will learn from them so as not to make them the next time, and so you can move on.
And what is more important: you will understand that you are responsible for your actions, that you control your life, and that you will not waste your time blaming others or your situation for what happens to you.
9. Handle your failures with confidence:
Many people think that those who have achieved their goals have been thanks to good luck, having a special talent, and not making mistakes along the way.
They are wrong.
They have actually succeeded in their goals because they have had the courage to try new things, they have worked hard, and they have had great self-confidence that has helped them overcome their failures.
And you also have to believe in yourself and that you are doing the best you can if you want to be able to deal with the mistakes you make and move on despite your failures.
A wise man once said, “we either win or we learn.”
In the vocabulary of an achiever, there is no such thing as “failure”: they are all small obstacles that become great lessons to grow as a person.
I know that this confidence is not easy to acquire, and that is why I recommend that you read the following article: How to have confidence in yourself when nobody believes in you.
10. Be yourself:
NEVER feel like you have to be someone you are not in order to be successful and achieve your goals.
Stepping out of your comfort zone to try something new is one thing, but changing “who you really are” is quite another.
Maybe sometimes we don’t have the answer to how to be successful, and most of us don’t find it overnight.
But that should not be a reason for you to change who you really are just by wanting to reach your goal.
And above all be happy!
Being happy is one of the most important factors to being successful in everything you set out to do.
When you are unhappy, your brain automatically hides your ambitions and your desires, and it does not feel ready to face new challenges that you give it.
Being happy is the main source of power for you to feel inspired, motivated, and full of strength and energy to be able to take the necessary steps toward your goals, and reach the goal successfully.
So be happy and enjoy the journey ahead!
What other strategies to achieve goals have you tried and how do they work for you?
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How to Be Positive in Life: 12 Effective Steps to Self-Therapy