Lately, we’ve been stressing how important it is to set goals and chase them! However, it’s important to make sure you’re taking baby steps. Have you ever taken on a new goal and became burnout shortly thereafter? Unfortunately, you won’t wake up one day to find your dream in the palm of your hands without first working towards that dream in bite-sized pieces. Here are five simple and small steps that will help you reach your big goals.
Small Steps
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Ease into new things
Let’s face it – you can’t climb Mount Everest from scratch. Compare meeting your goals to becoming a marathon runner (perhaps your goal is to become a marathon runner). You’ll need to go slow at first and run in small spurts. You probably won’t even be able to run a full mile when you first begin, but that’s okay. If you try to force it, you’re going to wear yourself out. Take your goals a mile – or a half mile—at a time.
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Track and celebrate your “wins”
Never underestimate the importance of keeping track of your own success. Consider investing in a success journal or simply use the Note app on your iPhone. Let’s stick with the running metaphor. Each time you beat your pace per mile, write it down. Let it be your motivation to continue to challenge yourself. After all, you are your biggest competitor.
Celebrate your wins too! Take your family out to a delicious dinner or treat yourself to an ice cream cone. Don’t let your successes go unnoticed or uncelebrated. If you need to, write down your reward – it will provide you with more motivation to complete your action step!
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Set deadlines
This is something you can do in five minutes before bed on a Sunday night. It’s simple but very effective. Write down the things you will accomplish before noon on Saturday. Check them off as you go. Treat your deadlines like school assignments – you don’t want to get a bad grade for handing something in late. It’s not the end of the world, of course, but meeting your deadlines is a great way to stay positive.
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Join a community
There are tons of online communities that are made for people to support each other and bask in the pleasure of working towards certain goals. There are even mobile apps that you can access from anywhere. There are fitness groups, habit-breaking groups, travelling groups anything you can think of! Joining support communities is a great way to meet and talk with people who are genuinely interested in your story and your progress. Sometimes our peers just aren’t enough.
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Stay hungry
This may sound cheesy, but don’t give up! Think about all of the progress that would be wasted if you stop in the middle. Sure, there will be days when working towards your goals will be tough, if not impossible, but get back up and try again tomorrow! Take a day off if you need to. If we resort back to running, there will be days when you must run fewer miles or go slower. Remember, something is better than nothing.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew! Like they always say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Stay positive and stay focused. Each action step you take brings you closer to your ultimate goal.
Postponed
The Accountability Squad is moving! Well, actually Debbie is moving from Orlando, FL to Myrtle Beach, SC. The move is happening over the next few weeks so we need to postpone the Get It Done Day until after Debbie is settled into her new home. We’ll let you know when the new date is scheduled, so keep an eye out here.
An Invitation
Join me, Debbie O’Grady, for a complimentary Get on Track Conversation. We will talk about your Dreams and Goals and in just 30 short minutes, I will help you get on track towards accomplishing the most important one you have. Schedule your call here.
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