Most people set goals, be it personal or professional. These can be daily, weekly, monthly or yearly goals. Some people even have five and ten year plans. But how many actually meet their goals? And if not, why?
Sure, sometimes outside influences can be an issue, but usually it’s something the person has done personally. A lot of the time the biggest obstacle stopping you from accomplishing your goals is yourself. The follow tips can help you get over yourself and get your goals accomplished.
Dream, but Stay Focused
It’s great to have lofty dreams of what you want to accomplish, but if you want those dreams to turn into reality, you have to stay focused. And you have to work at it. Quite often you’ll have a goal in mind (owning my own house by the time I’m 25) but haven’t worked out the details on how to make that happen. Plan out what you need to do to make that happen and then do it!
Most goals worth having require hard work, sometimes years of it. Break it down into smaller steps, so that the task doesn’t seem too large. Taking a dream one step at a time will not only keep you on goal, but will help you to see just how doable it really is.
Practice
So, you want to be a world-renown architect and you seem to have a gift for it? Having talent in a chosen area and succeeding are two completely different things. Get over your desire for instant celebrity and practice. After all, practice does make perfect, but in this age of reality TV and instant stardom, that’s very easy to forget.
Tell Your Inner Critic to Shut Up
Ever heard of self-sabotage? Bet your inner critic has. Quite often as we’re working towards a goal, our inner critic says such wonderfully helpful things like “You can’t do this”, “You aren’t smart enough”, and “You’ll never reach your goal.” The key is to be aware of this negative self talk and tell it to shut up. There are lots of books that deal specifically with turning negative self talk into positive self talk.
Be Bold, Not Scared
Setting goals and meeting them can sometimes be pretty scary, especially if that goal means drastically changing your life and going against your nature. If your goal is to work in Paris but you are nervous about moving away from friends, family and everything you know, you could find the closer you get to that goal, the less you do to make it happen. When this happens you have two choices: change your goal or, take a deep breath and push through.
Another thing that helps is to continue to remind yourself why you want the goal and what the positive results of accomplishing that goal will be – sometimes it is easy to let the fear of something, such as social anxiety overwhelm the joy that the could come of making the goal and facing the fear itself.
Have any tips for our readers on how you got over yourself and were able to accomplish your goals?
About the Author: Vern is a freelance writer for Marriage Fitness. They offer free marriage counseling and marriage help on their website to any married couple.
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Being focused to things that your really want to achieved is one factual thing. This way none o fthe things that can divert your attention.
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According to me to stay motivated and never loose hope are important factors to accomplish a goal.I really like your point ‘Tell your inner critic to shut up’.I appreciate for this point as sometime our inner critics can be negative for ourself.This is really meaningful post.
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Sometimes we forget we are the hardest on ourselves – I know that when I do a project, I’m the first one to warn people “this might suck, but…” which is exactly the kind of thing that I must change if I want to be able to be successful.
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Vern, thanks for writing this post! It’s great for us to be reminded that although we may think we have goals, we need to consciously address all of these points if we want to really achieve them! The section about Be Bold, Not Scared, is one I’m still trying to work on in my own life – as in, do I really want what I *say* I want, or do I want a little easier, safer, and comfortable (but lesser) version of that goal?
Sometimes, I find that when I change my goal to fit my comfort zone, I end up a little disappointed about the outcome and wonder why I didn’t fully go for it. I think it’s important to write these kinds of things down so you can see if your goal modifications are really satisfying you, or if you should just try going for your goals all the way, disregarding the risk of being out of your comfort zone to see if you are more fulfilled.
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Others tips to reach our goal: believing in our dreams and mostly take actions! There are some people who want something but they never move to get the thing!
i guess staying motivated and never loosing your hope can really helpful in accomplishing our goals.
Agree on this, I easily get my goal done when I’m motivated and inspired. Tasks tend to be so light when I’m inspired. On one hand, tasks tend to be so hard when I’m out of inspiration.
Good suggestions Vern.
My biggest hurdle has always been the inner critic. I had to increase my self esteem and belief that I could actually accomplish my dreams.
I started by convincing myself that I deserve success, respect and happiness.
I am having a hard time staying focused on my goals the last couple of weeks because I began working so hard I haven’t been filling myself and for me that is with meditation. For me to leave out the inner work and only focus on tasks doesn’t seem to work because I start thinking nothing is going to work anyway. I have to stay positive and I can’t do that by just work, work, working. Does that make any sense?
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For me, being inspired could help reach your goals. Taking actions for reaching it was another factor. Setting aside negative thoughts, although you have already mentioned it, was one of the key factors that is very important and we should never forget.
Thanks for sharing your ideas.
For me, having an inspiration could help you reach your goals. Taking actions to fulfill it, was another one. Setting aside your negative thoughts, although you have already mentioned it, was for me one of the key factors that we should consider and remember.
Yet, we would never be successful if we won’t believe in ourselves.
Thanks for sharing your ideas. I highly appreciate it.
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Getting yourself into a healthy competition is also a good idea if you seem to lose your focus all the time. Working with friends and colleagues will motivate you more and make things a lot easier rather than working alone.
After reading this post I must say that you have written here some important factors to accomplish goals.It is good that you have said to be bold as it is important one for me because some time I get scare and can’t reach my goal.
It’s funny you specifically mention moving to another country as a goal, and being nervous moving away from friends and family.
I am about a week and a half from my move date–I’m moving to Vancouver, BC to attend graduate school. It represents a couple of goals I’ve had for myself for YEARS. It’s going to be an enormous growth experience, both professionally and personally.
When I decided upon this particular place/location a couple of years ago it seemed so easy, but it has definitely been a struggle. I’ve definitely been nervous about leaving and despite my attempts at self-sabotage (spending time with my ex-boyfriend instead of packing, for example) I’ve still been slowly pushing through.
It’s really tough though. For anyone who thinks that moving to a different country is easy–it’s not. International banking issues and border crossings are the bane of my existence right now. I’m pretty sure once I get settled in I’m going to spend the first week under my covers sucking my thumb.
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Good luck Heather! Wow that is such a huge goal! I hope you love it, but please let us know how it goes!
first thing, have your feet firmly on ground, you may idolize guys who have been successful in your field, but to dream that you will reach at the top easy and quick, is fooling yourself. Make a plan and go step wise steadily and you will achieve success.
Telling your own self that you can do that certain things and be successful in you chosen field in the key that you can certainly make it to the point of reaching you goals in life. Being optimistic is necessary in indulging in everything that you longed to have.
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To stick to our goal is a main factor to accomplish a goal.You have well said that sometimes our inner critics don’t let us to reach our goals.We should always think positive and be optimistic for our goals.In this ways we can reach to our goals successfully.
Goals are a vital part of our life. Without goals our life is unfulfilling. Keeping our attention focused on our goals, can give us self esteem and great self confidence.
To accomplish a goal it is requires to think positive otherwise you can’t reach to your goal successfully.We all have different goals..You have mentioned here a good point of inner critics.I am glad that your post is inspiring for goals.
I guess one should always stay motivated and never loose hope to accomplish their goals.
These are good tips here. I agree that it is good to have dreams, but you still have to focus on the present moment. If we look too far into the future then things can sometimes get more complicated.
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Ever since, I was always too timid to try things out on my own. I was a scaredy-cat and my decisions are weak. This post just made me realize that there is a wide world out there and dreams are free to be pursued. Thanks for this one! I love it.
Nice tips, but finding the balance is hard.
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Begin with the end in mind, then trace your steps backward in order to plan the course of action. Goals are tough to get a grip on for many people, they were for me then and even can be today. One of the first lessons I learned was to stretch yourself, not too much, but just enough to get you out of your comfort zone. Being an Introvert myself, it doesn’t take much to get out of my comfort zone, however, my mentor said this to me,
“Successful people live their life outside their comfort zones.”
Sooooo, if you want to be successful…
Blessings,
Ron
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Working backwards to figure out your next steps is a good idea. I use this a lot when I’m writing my fiction stories but I never really thought to apply this to goal achievement.
The whole stretch outside the comfort zone thing, however, is really challenging. My inner critic has gotten very good at sabotaging my efforts.
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Well, I can attest to the taking it step by step. Trying to do too many things at once will only overwhelm you and you may give up or fail. I try to follow this quote: “A dream is only a dream, but put it into action and it becomes reality”. Dream big, but keep your dreams within your reach. It is true, successful people do not stay in their comfort zones. They go where ever they need to go to get where they want.
Thanks for praising the necessity of personal development when it comes to business building. From my own experience and the observation of others, I think the biggest issue most people have when it comes to building a true business is their need of “instant gratification” rather than “delayed gratification” – we are all trained to work and get paid instantly. To overcome that, we need to do – personal development.
goal setting is an excellent way to motivate yourself and to ensure you are actively moving your life in a direction of your choice. If you set your goals well, you’ll gain a sense of control over your place in the world and have an overriding set of priorities that inform your day to day decisions.
once you have your goal defined, identify the next immediate tasks and actions. Then set aside some time and block it out so you can actually dedicate some brain power and resources to completing them. Frequently review your progress and either reward yourself or revise your plans.
Remember the mind doesn’t know the difference between something you vividly imagine or something you actually experience. When your dealing with the mind thought become things. So set your goals high and enjoy the success you dreamed about
Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn this vision of the future into reality.
Thank you for a nice post Vern. I specially enjoy this section “Dream, but Stay Focused”. My own motto is pretty close – Goal without a plan is just a dream.
This was a great article and I appreciate the tips. I think, for me, my biggest hurdle is defeating my inner critic. I try to tell it to shut up but I have about a 40-50% success rate, lol!
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I appreciate your post a lot. Because you show some tips on how to accomplish my goals directly. I am excited to apply it in my business. Thank you for paying attention to simple little things that most men neglect makes a few men rich. More power in this post!
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Yes, I agree that there is a need of focus if you really want to achieve your goal. I do believe that everyone of us has skills and talents and we have to use these capabilities in reaching our goals. We have to dream for it and do something to make that dream to a reality. We need to have perseverance and patience for these are the virtue of a successful life.
Always strike hard and give your best shot.! Also, self confidence is a must to accomplish these goals of yours.
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Success of goal attainment doesn’t only depends on the person itself but the person creating it.It is important to properly state the goal. Formulating goals can be tough but the best guide is to use the S.M.A.R.T acronym. This means that the properly defined goal should be:
S- Specific
M-Measurable (how much, when?)
A- attainable (a full proof process exist, e.g. losing weight through 30 minutes daily jogging is a full proof process whereas no full proof process or method exists yet transporting a human to walk on planet Mars )
R- Realistic (a positive benefit exists that can done by attainable goals)
T- Time bounded (how long?)
With properly defined goals, it is much more easier to execute and accomplish.
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Being bold is everything. This is a lesson I learned from bungie jumping: do not let yourself think about it. Tell the guy to count to 3, and no matter what, on 3, you JUMP… and let the details sort themselves out. Life can be lived this way, and it’s amazingly liberating.
Sophia, that was beautiful. When I read it I thought immediately about how my Canada move happened. Not sure I’d like to go through that sort of “everything will sort itself out” again, because it was really painful and involved a lot of voluntary and involuntary sacrifice, but it sure was an experience.
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Yes, I do agree with you. Having goal in mind put spices in your life wherein you are internally motivated and looking forward for the things you want to achieve. Also, we must never loses patience as what the quote says, “Patience is virtue”
When I am always having a hard times, I feel like I don’t know what to do and where to go. But when I read this post, I am enlighten with those ideas and replies. I will stick up with my goals and dreams. Thanks for sharing this post.
Hi, I just read this post and I have to agree, you really do need to just go out and try to achieve the things you want, whether they are big or small. If it’s just to try to talk more with your kids, or clean up a little more to keep your wife happy, or even to take some time to evaluate yourself at your job. Am I doing the best I can? What is the big picture? These are all ways that I have looked inward to try to improve myself and my quality of life.
Its really nice article, i have forwarded to my friend to build her confidence level to make easier to achieve their goals.
Self motivation comes from within you. I like ” ‘Tell your inner critic to shut up’, and ‘ Be bold not scared’ ”, our inner critic tend to pull us down by discouraging us and we need to get rid of that. The other thing that we need to get rid of is fear, we become afraid of failure and disappointments not understanding that failure becomes a strength as is helps us realize mistakes we make on our way to success on the goals we set. And to make it to the end there’s one important thing we need, Health, avoid stress and fatigue, get enough rest.
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Thanks for the good tips. I like Dream, but Stay Focused. Sometimes it seems tough to actually take action. I think its good to make goals.
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