5 Things you didn't know about goal setting

It seems that everyone is always talking about goals. What they want out of life and how they want to get there. But too often we see people giving up on their goals why? Is it because they did not have the resources or that they didn't really want it? Well no not really. The success of goal setting can be achieved through a few simple steps

1. Start small. The big problem of goal setting is that too often we are distracted by the bigger picture. That is to say we only see the end results and not the road that leads us there. When setting a goal for yourself start with something that is small and manageable. For example maybe it is your goal to start eating healthier. Start by making small adjustments such as opting for an orange instead of chocolate. Essential you just replace the snack with a better option. If you throw away all sweets and go cold turkey you are likely to back to eating unhealthy because the change was too quick.

2. Set yourself a reasonable amount of time. Too often goals collapse because we demand results as soon as possible. When in reality it is going to take some time to be able to reach what we want. In the previous example we talked about sweets if you want to stop eating them it's only logical to throw them all out and done! However, you have only thrown out the physical cravings, what is to stop you from buying more when you go out? Thus if we want to stop eating sweets it needs to be gradual as your body will still crave it for some time. Plus when we go cold turkey we beat ourselves up for eating sweets again and we become discouraged.

3. Don't push yourself too hard. We all want to achieve our goals to see the results unfold before us. But if we push ourselves for it too hard then whenever we have a setback we become discouraged and are likely to give up on the goal. Be nice to yourself! You are only human! Having setbacks is normal and something you should not be heartbroken over. Acknowledge it and keep moving forward the more you keep going the easier it will become. You are doing the best you can and that is all you need.

4. Who are you doing this for? It is essential to ask yourself who you are doing this for in the end. You, your family, etc. There is really no wrong answer here, while it is always best to do something for yourself it can always be beneficial to your family as a whole. But your reasoning and motivation are very important. This is what you will remind yourself of when you have your setbacks. It is always worth it in the end no matter how hard the struggle it.

5. Take a deep breath! Our goals should not cause us anxiety or stress. Our goals should be something that we look forward to. Much like how we look forward to the holidays this is a reward. Acknowledge your struggles and your achievements think about where you started and how far you have come already. Think about how soon you will be able to reach your goal and how in the grand scheme of life you are that much closer to your bigger picture goal!

Goal setting is hard especially when you need to stick with it for the long term but it is definitely possible to do. Always look at the big picture and then break down the steps for getting there. You will be amazed at how much more manageable it is and how much it really can help you in the long run. I hope you found this helpful and informative. See you next time!

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