10 Steps to Crush Your Goals

Everyone knows that a new year brings resolutions and a fresh start! I personally love setting goals, finding ways to improve and challenging myself in new ways! I, like many of you I'm sure, have given up on goals in the past. More often than not, it's so much easier to quit and give up instead of working hard and pushing yourself...but I have found that the results are far more rewarding when you do the latter.

That being said, I wanted to share with you all ten steps to help you crush your goals and make 2019 your best year yet! So let's do it!

One: Determine What Your Goals Are

Sit down and just start writing. Write down everything that comes to your mind. Have a little (or big) brainstorming session. It doesn't matter if it's single words, ideas or phrases. Get it all out on paper! 

Two: Write Them Down

Once you've got a good list of ideas, form goals or resolutions and write them down. Be detailed and specific, not vague. Got your goals? Now it's time to prioritize them. Start by marking your three most important goals with a (1). Then put (2)s by your next most important goals and a (3) by your last important goal. These will be your top five goals to work toward. You can totally do more than five, but it's important to not overwhelm yourself so start with five and go from there.

Three: Ask Yourself Why You're Doing This

What's your motivation? What will keep you going on those days when you want to give up the most? Achieving something for yourself is empowering, encouraging and is one of the best feelings in the world. But it's also ok if your goals include doing something for (or with) someone else! Try to think long term on this one...how will the goals you're setting help you today and in the future? Use stickers, notes, quotes, etc as visual reminders and put them everywhere!

Four: Shout it to the World!

Sharing your goals and letting others know what you want to accomplish is a good way to be held accountable, but also a good way to encourage others! Having a goal buddy takes some of the burden off and can make the journey that much more fun! Plus, once you've made it public and told people about your goals...it's harder to quit and give up.

Five: Establish a Routine and Habits

Find a way to make your resolutions a part of your normal, daily routine. This will help you stay focused and keep what you want in site...every single day. Once you establish habits and a routine that incorporate your goals, the path to accomplishing those goals will be easier and feel more like a natural part of your day. Hopefully you'll get to the point where you don't have to conscientiously think and remember to work on your goal, it will just come naturally!

Six: Accept Setbacks and Rededicate Yourself

How many of you have started and quit resolutions in the past? I have. You wanted to get healthy and lose a few pounds, but you ate a cookie. You wanted to establish a daily routine, but you missed one morning. You wanted to be more patient, but you yelled at someone. IT'S OK! Just because you have a slip-up doesn't mean you have to throw in the towel! We're all human...every single one of us. No one is perfect. Ask yourself why you slipped up? Were you starving so you reached for what was closest? Did you not get a good nights sleep so you stayed in bed all morning? Did you not take time for yourself that day so you blew up at your kids? Sticking with your goals not matter what will help you learn from your setbacks and be stronger in the future. You'll be able to realize why the mistake happened and hopefully be able to prevent it from happening the next time. After a setback it's important to rededicate yourself to your goals and what you want most. Refocus and get right back at it!

Seven: Learn and Make Adjustments

This one goes along with number six. Life is all about learning from our mistakes and make adjustments to fix them. No one is perfect and we'll never get it right the first time. The nice thing about setting goals is that they're a way to improve and challenge ourselves...not to perfect ourselves. Don't be afraid to tweak your goals or make additions to them as you go...but don't quit or give up on one completely! It's a learning process!

Eight: Don't Expect Too Much Too Fast

If you don't pace yourself and make time-realistic goals, you are setting yourself up for failure! You will burn out if you're not realistic. Be patient with yourself and realize that all good things take time. You will reach your goals by being persistent and patient!

Nine: Check In with Yourself
After you've set your goals, pick a specific day and time to check in with yourself. Make it the same time each day or each week so you establish a pattern and hold yourself accountable. Checking in will help keep you on track to reach your goals and allow you to measure your progress. Seeing how far you've come plays a big role in how far you'll go!

Ten: Reward Yourself!

Who else loves rewarding themselves?! I do! Think of something you've been wanting to buy for a long time or somewhere you've wanted to travel to forever! After you've decided what you want to accomplish, determine exactly what your reward for achieving those goals will be! Having something to look forward to at the end (besides the accomplished goals) can help you stay motivated on your hardest days. I am all about self love and personal rewards! Everyone needs to treat themselves and acknowledge a job well done!

So bring on 2019 and let's crush our goals together! Happy Monday!!