How do you feel when you brainstorm and think about your goals? You’re probably excited, eager to get going, and hoping that you can get as much done in as short a period of time as humanly possible. However, that excitement tends to wear off within a few weeks, which leaves you with a major task to accomplish and no directions to get there. Your goal is put on the back burner in lieu of other work and, before you know it, the year is over and you’re left with a half-finished project and a feeling of disappointment and failure. Ouch! How do you turn this vicious cycle into a path from A to B? Keep reading to find out.
Although a big part of reaching your goals is, in fact, setting them, simply having goals is not enough. Your goal helps you to remember where you’re going, but having a picture of the Grand Canyon won’t tell you how to drive there. This is where a map comes in handy =).
When it comes to achieving goals, your focus should be more on the process itself rather than the outcome. Whatever you do on a daily basis to work toward your goal is what truly counts and adds up to actually reaching said goal. Additionally, if you focus on the journey rather than the incessant need to see immediate results (we are, after all, an instant gratification society), you’ll be so busy taking action each day that the final act of achieving your goal may even sneak up on you.
Having said that, here are a few mindfulness tips for you as you journey through the coming year while working toward your goals.
1. Personal Accountability is Key.
As with so many things in life, personal accountability plays a huge role when you’re working toward something. As you go through each day, make sure that you’re following the steps you decided to take for working toward your ultimate goal.
2. Don’t Be a Victim of Circumstance.
We’ve all heard the excuses, I’m sure. You know the ones. They usually begin with, “I can’t,” “I’m not,” “I don’t have,” and so on. Playing the victim isn’t empowering because it gives your circumstances, other people, and other things the power over your life that you should have. The clincher? You’re the only one who can give that power away... and take it back.
3. Embrace the Work.
Let’s be real here... no one ever got anywhere by sitting around, and dreams don’t usually come true without some substantial time and effort from you, the dreamer. When you embrace the work you know will be involved in achieving your goals, you go from being only a dreamer to being a dreamer and a doer – the very character traits that will propel you from fantasy to actualization.
4. Rally Your Supporters for Honest Input.
Key word: honest. You may have already noticed this, but some of your supporters are always supportive, while other people who follow your work are always negative and critical. The input you want to seek out is from people who support and encourage you but who are also willing to take an honest and sometimes brutal look at your work and give you feedback the same way. No, you don’t need to seek out the meanest of your friends or followers, obviously, but you do want to ask for honest opinions from people whom you trust and are knowledgeable about the specific project or task you’re working on.
5. Mindfully and Boldly Commit to Yourself.
Sometimes a commitment is all it takes, but other times you have to have tangible proof – for yourself – to fully commit to a goal. Whether you turn a $1 bill into a pretend $100,000 bill and tack it to the ceiling over your bed like Jack Canfield or write yourself a check for $10 million for acting services rendered like Jim Carrey, some tangible evidence of your commitment has a strong psychological impact and can influence whether you actually reach your goals or not.
6. Perseverance.
All too often, we get extremely close to our goals but then give up because things get super depressing, rocky, challenging, or otherwise discouraging right before we’re about to succeed. There are sayings about it being darkest before the dawn and other similar scenarios, and really with every goal you set, there’s a journey associated with the achievement of that goal. When you begin traveling toward your goal, there will always be obstacles, setbacks, challenges, and the temptation to quit because it “just got too difficult.” Keep going.
7. Go All In.
Have you ever noticed a shift in your mindset the moment you make a conscious commitment to something? Whether it be a project, a relationship, or a vehicle, once you’re committed to seeing it through, you’re far less likely to quit at any point. Make a commitment to achieving your goals and go all in.
8. Be Positive and Resilient.
Beginning with a positive attitude toward your goals as well as the journey to achieving them will help you to bounce back when things get tough, which they tend to do no matter what. Simply being aware of this and making the commitment to keep going despite any setbacks you may encounter can work wonders for your ability to accomplish your goals.
9. Be Patient and Flexible.
Any goal worth setting and working toward is probably one that won’t happen overnight, so be patient with yourself as well as the process. When you’re patient with the process, you also give yourself some wiggle room for when things don’t go as planned or your plans change to work better with your other life obligations.
10. Visualize.
Any chance you have, imagine yourself having already accomplished the goals you set. The most effective way to do this is during your daily meditation when you’re already calm and focused. After calming your mind, visualize your goals being achieved one at a time. Remember that you should only have three major goals at the most, so go through and imagine each one of these being accomplished. Pay attention to how you feel, what your life looks like once you’ve achieved these goals, and how everyone in your life interacts with you. Stay with those feelings for a minute before moving on to visualizing your next goal.
Whether you’re trying to lose weight, make more money, write a novel, or create an online course, these mindfulness tips will help you on your path to achieving your goals in the coming new year. Have fun with this! Your life is what you make it, and accomplishment is one of the ways in which we as humans feel fulfilled.
As always, continue leading and learning mindfully as this year comes to a close and the door to next year’s opportunities opens. You’ll never know how epic your life might turn out unless you put your plans into action with the guidance of your ultimate goals!
For more mindfulness techniques, training, coaching, and executive insights, please visit www.ExecutiveCoachingUniversity.com.
