6 Tips to Help You Achieve Your Goals

We all have things we want to accomplish, especially at the start of a new year. Sometimes, though, the steps to get there are bit steeper than we originally thought. Whether you want to lose weight, declutter your home, or go back to school, these six tips can help you along the path to achieving your goals.

Be Concrete About What You Want

Often, when we set a goal, we only have a general (or even vague) idea of what it is we want to achieve, so we end up wasting a lot of time on steps that don’t produce any results. This makes everything so much harder and takes us much longer than it would’ve if we’d just been more specific about our endgame.

This road also usually leads to failure, as it makes you feel like you’re just not cut out for whatever it is you’ve set out to accomplish.

To avoid wasting time, effort, energy, or money, grab a pen and paper or your journal and have a brainstorming session. You have to know exactly what it is you want to work toward before you can even get started.

You don’t have to be super-specific with the details, but you do need to figure out what your goal actually is. Whether it’s buying your first house or getting your Master’s degree, being concrete about what you want will make it easier for you to create a successful plan.

So, first, figure out exactly what it is you’re willing to work night and day for, and then write it down. Something like The Six-Minute Success Journal can help you not only with this first step, but with the rest we’re going to cover, as well.

Figure Out Your Why

Many times, our goals aren’t even something we want to do. Perhaps, it’s something we feel pressured to do by our culture, environment, or family. Then, we end up stressing ourselves out and dedicating a ton of time and effort to something that, deep down, we don’t even really want.

This is why, from the beginning, you should be honest with yourself and figure out why you’re willing to work so hard to attain a particular goal. This is how you’ll figure out if all the hard work will be worth it in the end.

Sometimes, there’s a bigger reason for pursuing a goal. For example, maybe you love your house, but it’s too small for your growing family, so you’re going to have to move. Even if your why isn’t because it’s something you necessarily want, you can still tune into it and make it your driving force.

If, at some point, you realize the why isn’t all that important, you can scratch it all and shift your focus to something else.

Make a Plan & Stay Consistent

You’ve probably heard the quote, “A goal without a plan is just a wish,” and it couldn’t be more true. A goal that remains in your head will stay there forever unless you start taking steps to achieve it.

The first thing to do is break down the steps you can take to work toward your goal. In some cases, making smaller achievements over time that will ultimately lead you to your desired result might be the best way to go. Create a game plan, define all of the steps, and identify some people who can help you along the way.

Then, just take it day by day, but stay consistent. The key is to never let the goal out of your sight and always keep working toward it. You’ll hit some bumps along the way, but just pick yourself up and keep moving forward. It’s when we get stuck in the muddy middle that we need to push forward the hardest.

Ask for Help

Many times, we have way too much on our plate and keep taking on more without any reasonable explanation other than we thought we could do it. You don’t have to do everything on your own. Asking for help when you need it can make your life so much easier.

Delegate some of your tasks and allow others to help you out once and a while. This will make it possible for you to turn your attention to your goal and make some progress instead of trying to do everything by yourself.

You should also make a list of people you know who could help you reach your goal. Even if you don’t know anyone personally, you could likely find people online or through your network who could help.

Believe In Yourself

Sometimes, we can be our own worst enemy and set ourselves up for failure simply because we don’t truly believe we can accomplish something. Instead of falling into this trap, find ways to be your own biggest cheerleader and trust your instincts.

If you’re clear on your goal and have your “why” figured out, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll achieve it. So, celebrate the little victories along the way. Every time you accomplish a task that gets you one step closer to your endgame, go out for a nice dinner or reward yourself with a glass of your favorite wine.

Rewarding yourself regularly will not only help you remain determined to keep pushing forward, but each step you complete will also prove more that you got this! After all, you have to believe in yourself before anyone else will.

It’s Okay to Fail & Start Over

If all of us could turn every one of our dreams into a goal, and then achieve those goals, life would be amazing, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, that just isn’t the case. Sometimes, we just can’t make it to that finish line.

If at first, you don’t succeed, so what? It’s not the end of the world. Take a breath and try to figure out why it didn’t work. Sometimes, you might be able to tweak a thing or two and try again.

Other times, though, there might not be anything you can do about it, so just accept that—don’t beat yourself up about it. What’s done is done, and we can’t control everything all of the time. Accept that it might be time to start over or move on to a new goal. It just depends on whether you think you can tweak your approach or fix the problems.

If you can do either of the latter, start with a clean slate. That means going back in without any pre-judged thoughts or anger. Pretend you’re doing it all for the first time. Remember your why and let it guide you.

On the other hand, if you realize a problem cannot be fixed, or you just don’t want to do it all again, it might be a sign that you should move on to something else entirely. Sometimes, the timing just isn’t right or other areas of life get in the way. Making peace with that will make it much easier for you to get excited about a new goal and start working toward it.

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Working toward goals is a lifelong process—most of us are doing it all the time. If you’ve set some goals for yourself this year, these tips will help you achieve them. And if you find yourself struggling midway, we’ve got some tips to help you get back on track, too!