Goals Are Hard, Work Them Clever

17 December 2020

It’s that time of year when people start thinking of New Years Resolutions. For many, it’s going to be a brand new start, and some people will make huge changes to their lives. But, is it just a way of deferring this year’s failures? After all, they say tomorrow never comes.

But sometimes, some challenges look too damned massive to contemplate: Losing 50 pounds; Couch to 5k, to marathon; getting a new job when you don’t know what you love doing.

The fact of the matter is, all big challenges take time to deliver.

There was a great quote by Ollie Ollerton on a recent Don’t Tell Me The Score (one of our positive podcasts) which is worth repeating a couple of times:

A goal isn’t great if you don’t doubt you will achieve it.

While we want quick fixes, life doesn’t work like that, but neither do our bodies or minds. The journey is as (if not more) important than the destination and we all have doubts – before and during.

So, to motivate yourself over sustained periods – which is the only way to deliver true gratification – you need to break things down into chunks where you can see if you are getting somewhere.

Break Your Goals Down:

Why put things off? Start NOW.
Focus on daily discipline. "Just today I'm going to...".
Do the same the next day.
Congratulate yourself on good decisions (and notice when you start repeating them).
Look at what's right in front of you, not what's in the distance. You'll start to notice you are getting somewhere step-by-step.
Check-in regularly to see how far you've come. Take a 360º view of your progress, not just how far you may still have to go.
Don't give yourself a hard time if you lapse; just go back to one day of discipline and start over.
Don't ever fucking give up.