3 Simple Steps to Successfully Work Towards Your Goals

With January 1st fast approaching, I want to share the 3-step approach to setting goals that has helped me over this past year. We’ve all been there - we set goals, we try our best for a few weeks and then we give up because we get frustrated. It’s happened to me too - a lot. But something changed during the summer of 2019. I finally acknowledged that my success depends on how consistently I can do the things that I need to do on a DAILY basis. Let me share how I arrived at this realization with this 3-step approach. 

1. Clearly define your goal(s)

You have to know what you want. As the saying goes, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” What is it that you really want out of this? Is it a feeling? Is it a certain look? Do you have certain numbers in mind? What do you want and WHY do you want that? What will make you really happy in 3 months? Why will that make you happy? Take your time, reflect on these questions and really figure out what YOU want.

2. Figure out what you need to do every single day to work towards those goals

THIS has been the biggest game-changer for me. It’s not enough to know what you want or even why you want it. Now it’s time to acknowledge exactly what you need to do EVERY DAY to work towards those goals. This won’t be easy because your goals will probably require a lot more effort than you initially anticipated. Literally list every single thing that you need to do on a daily basis to work towards your goals.

I’m all about the quotes so here’s another one for you - “The secret of your success lies in your daily routine”. It’s not what we do once in a while, it’s what we do daily that will determine our level of success.

From a health standpoint, this could be anything from waking up or going to bed at a certain time, exercising x amount of minutes per day, drinking a certain amount of water per day or consuming a certain amount or type of food per day. If your goal is fat loss or muscle gain, how do you need to eat on a daily basis to work towards that goal? If your goal is to feel better or be in less pain, what do you need to do daily to achieve that? 

Let’s take a moment to look at things outside of health and fitness. If my goal is to improve as a coach, maybe I need to spend x amount of hours per day expanding my knowledge and actually coaching. If I want to become a better writer, I need to decide how much time I will allocate daily/weekly to do that. If I want to complete an online course, I have to spend a certain amount of time learning and studying. Or maybe my goal is to simply become a better person - then every day, my goal might be to be as kind and compassionate as possible to everyone I come into contact with. I hope you get the idea by this point

3. Be consistent, be patient and don’t give up when things get tough (and they will get tough)

Now that you’ve determined what your goals are, why those are your goals and what you need to do every single day to work towards those goals - it’s time to execute. It’s time to commit to the process, acknowledge that this isn’t going to be easy but it’s sure as hell going to be worth it. Personally, I review and recommit to my goals and the list of things that I wrote down every morning and then I go out there and do my best every day. 

It doesn’t always have to be 100% perfect and based on my experience, it rarely is. But what matters most is that you recommit every single day, be consistent, be patient and you WILL inch your way towards your goals. A word of warning - It’s probably not going to be a smooth ride on your way to achieving those goals. There will be roadblocks and you will get frustrated. It’s all part of the process. 

Here’s one last quote from me - ‘failure is not the opposite of success. It is part of success”. It’s okay to mess up and it’s completely normal to do so. We all get knocked down here and there, but what really matters is how fast we can pick ourselves up and keep going. So give yourself 15-30 minutes to really reflect on what you want and why you want it, figure out what you need to do DAILY to work towards those goals and then be consistent, persistent and patient AF. Oh yeah, and be kind to yourself if/when you mess up. It’s all part of the process. Now it’s time to stop reading and start acting. Don’t wait until tomorrow or next Monday or January 1st to get started. Start right now!