BLOG_2020_01_09 5 Tips to Help You Stay Focused on Your Goals
5 Tips to Help You Stay Focused on Your Goals
Setting goals can be effortless. It’s not hard to know what you want (or maybe what you don’t want), or write your goals down. Achieving them, on the other hand, can often be a bit of a challenge.
In order to reach your goals, you must maintain your focus on the end result, especially when things get rough.
Here are some tips to help you stay focused on your goals.
1. Create a visual reminder such as a dream board or a vision board.
A vision board contains pictures, personal reflections and other notes or images related to the finished goal. Pretend for a moment that your goal is to start a restaurant. Create a restaurant vision board full of pictures, such as cutouts from magazines depicting restaurant grand openings, the type of furniture you would like in the restaurant, famous people coming to visit or even a fake review you have written about your impending opening night. Visual reminders are meant to encourage and keep your eye on the prize when you hit a rough spot in your plans. To make your vision board even more powerful, include images that reflect “your why” you want your goal as well as images that reflect the feelings you will have upon your success.
2. Ask for help.
This point can’t be stated enough. No one is an island. Without help, everyone fails at something. How many times did we fail at walking as a young child until we could walk with an even stride and then run at a fast pace? Support such as weekly phone calls with a friend or mentor for encouragement, focusing sessions or even just a sounding board when things get off course can be extremely helpful. Other support can include having a coach to provide you a non-judgmental sounding board, hand holding, and accountability.
3. Reassess the game plan.
A goal is only as good as the plan behind it and its implementation through concerted and consistent action. Looking at that plan every three to six months lets you see what can be tweaked or omitted all together. As things change, so do the steps in that plan. If, for example, one step to meet your goal is starting a business by the end of the year, a major move to another state or country could put that on hold. Instead, a pivot is required - starting an online business could still keep you in the loop, without the pressure of reaching your original goal when it is no longer realistic.
4. Reward yourself.
For every step along the way that brings you closer to your goal, celebrate. Celebration raises our vibration levels so we attract even more things that are scientifically proven to have high energy or vibration levels such as joy, happiness, love and fulfillment. Celebration can be as simple as a night on the town with friends, a new outfit or a quiet weekend alone. It’s important, however, to make sure your celebrations do not sabotage your goals. If the goal involves saving money, then the quiet weekend alone would not dip into your coffers. For weight loss goals, a new outfit or trip to the movies as opposed to a hot fudge sundae, won’t ruin all of the work you have done up to that point.
5. Learn how to deal with setbacks.
Expect setbacks, most things don’t always go as we plan. Life happens one day at a time. One reason people often lose focus on their goals is a temporary delay or two. They call them failures when, in all honesty, they are anything but. Setbacks can signal that the goal needs to be met through a new direction; i.e. if you can’t go through the wall, go over it, around it or dig a tunnel under it! Or the setback may just mean you need to rededicate yourself to the task at hand. Put it into perspective, deal with the hindrance and move on. Remind yourself of your “why” and revisit your vision board to get some extra motivation to stick with it. Call on your emotional support buddies and/or your coach too.
Staying focused on a goal can be tricky and even hazy at times. To correct your vision and stay focused on the final result, use the five tips above as often as needed throughout the process of completing your goal. And remember don’t forget to ask for help to make 2020 your best year yet!
