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Achieving Your Goals: What Does it REALLY Take?

We all need goals. They keep us on track and help us to make progress to where we want to be. Without them we can fall into a rut, become stagnant and unhappy. But achieving your goals is often easier said than done, before you can get to where you want to be there’s often numerous steps you need to take first. It can feel overwhelming and people can give up on the idea before they’ve even started. If you want to smash your goals, reach your potential and get to where you want to be in life, here’s what you need to do.

Write down your goals

First things first, to achieve your goals you need to be clear on what exactly they are. Writing them out is a good idea, as it enables you to get specific. Start with your end goal, where you want to be eventually. From there, you can work backwards, deciding what you’ll need to do each step of the way to reach them. If it’s a career goal you’re hoping to meet, it will most likely start with education, and perhaps voluntary work. It could involve starting a side hustle to build your skills, or working for a number of years in a job while you work up the ladder. If it’s a financial goal such as buying a house, it could involve first getting out of debt and starting a debt consolidation plan like the one this site offers. Once it’s all paid, you’d work out what you can afford to save each month and where you can make cutbacks. As the saying goes, ‘be stubborn with your goals, but flexible with your methods’. There might be bumps in the road, and you might have to come up with new ways to get there as your journey progresses. Having this in mind from the get-go can help you to be prepared and ready to overcome challenges you face.

Be authentic

Make sure the goals you’ve set are true to you, and what you want. Don’t let others set them for you, or push you down a path that’s not for you. You need to know in your heart what you want- sure, advice from others is great but ultimately it’s your life and these things have to be your decisions. If you’ve got a family history with a business or certain kind of job and it’s always been expected of you to carry on tradition for example, it can be tricky being the one to stand up and say actually, this isn’t for me. But if that’s what it takes for you to be able to pursue your dreams and carve your own path then so be it. Take a look at the goals you’ve set, how will you feel once you finally achieve them? Are they what you really want? If the answer is no, then it’s time to have another think and look to taking a different route in life instead. If you’ve had goals in mind for a while but haven’t made that much progress, this could be the reason why. You need to be genuinely motivated to achieving them, for your own sake.

Change the way you think

One of the reasons why you might not be achieving your goals is because you’re stuck in a negative frame of mind. If your goal is a long way off, requiring lots of time, effort and steps then it’s easy to think that it’s simply not achievable. But chances are, this isn’t the case. The first step with these things can be the hardest, but once you’re clear on your goals and have made that first move you can just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Before you know it, you’ll look back and see just how far you’ve come. Instead of focusing on how big and far away your end goal is, focus on each step at a time and celebrate your accomplishments as you go. Focus on your thoughts, and try to be more positive in general which really can help when it comes to achieving your goals. If you’re negativity is due to a mental health condition like depression or anxiety, speak to your doctor and get onto the right treatment. When you’re happy and thinking clearly, it can make progressing in your life much easier.

Surround yourself with positive people

As well as trying to be a positive person yourself, surrounding yourself with others that have a similar outlook is one of the best things you can do. If you’re having a low day/ week/ month, you need people in your life that are going to help you to get back on your feet, remind you of why you started and motivate you. We all need this kind of help from others at times, and having the right people around you can be the difference between giving up when times are hard and listening to their advice and sticking it out. Our long term goals are exactly that- long term, they take time to reach. Motivation will sometimes be in short supply, which is why the guidance or support of positive and motivated people will really come in useful. Start paying attention to those around you, notice whether they’re good for you or not. Sometimes toxic people unfortunately are those we love the most, and as hard as it is, cutting them off is what’s best for us. Pay attention to how people make you feel, if they’re happy for your successes or find ways to play them down. If they help you when you’re down or just use you for their own personal gain. Get yourself out there by trying new hobbies, travelling and generally being social and maintain a positive vibe to attract others like you towards you.

Be open to opportunity

Sometimes opportunity knocks very quietly. It’s important to be open and responsive to opportunities that come your way, as these can be what really help you to reach your goals. Put yourself out there, and say yes to things you would have previously rejected. Things that might not seem like they’ll help you that much in the long term can be a catalyst for new opportunities. For example, a training day could help you to network and meet people that are able to get you to the next level of your goals. You might learn information that will help you to change the way you’re doing things for the better. Perhaps you’re offered a voluntary position or some other kind of work experience but aren’t sure how much it will benefit you- but if you’re able to, take it anyway and just see! You never know where these kinds of things could lead.

Track your performance

Keeping track of where you’ve come from and what you’ve achieved to date can help you to see the progress you’ve made. Even if you’re not where you want to be yet, seeing that you’re no longer at the starting point can give you the motivation you need to keep on going. This will all depend on the goal you’re tracking, but find ways to keep note of your progress. Research shows that those that are actually quiet about their goals are more likely to achieve them, it’s not to say that you shouldn’t talk to close family and friends but publicly posting about them on platforms like social media for example might not actually be that helpful. So find more private ways to keep your progress tracked.

Be prepared to put in the work

Finally, to really achieve the life you want to lead, there’s more to it than sitting around and hoping for the best. You need to be prepared to put in the work- to turn up, grind and really put your all into making it happen. Being in a good, positive frame of mind really is the first step, but from there you have to move forward in a practical way.

Achieving your goals can take a lot of planning and hard work, they can be years in the making. But focus on the journey as much as the destination, learn all you can along the way and one day you’ll feel proud knowing you finally got there.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get serious about achieving their goals?

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