Are you struggling to smash your goals? Feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start? Smashing your goals has become easier this 2022 thanks to these 10 helpful steps.
After reading some recent blogs on all things goals, it’s come to my attention that although achieving goals is a challenge, it’s doable — you can change your reality — with the RIGHT approach.
The reason you keep on failing is because your approach is wrong, which is why these 10 steps will help you smash your goals and succeed.
What does smashing your goals mean?
Smashing goals means removing or eliminating unnecessary distractions and deciding what you want to accomplish. Then, using all of your effort to achieving those tasks and ultimately your goals; otherwise, you’ll never achieve your goals.
What are some of the distractions you seek to eliminate?
It’s hard not to be distracted when we live in a world cluttered with distractions that make our lives difficult. The key is finding your distractions and taking the necessary steps to eliminate them.
Here are a few of the biggest distractions and the ones you might want to eliminate: social media, email notifications, procrastination, being overwhelmed by everything you need to do, lack of motivation, comparison, and self-doubt.
How to smash your goals and overcome the “just a wish” phase?
Here are 10 helpful steps that will help you smash your goals this new year:
Step #1: Take Action
For any goal to be achieved in life, you need to take action to change your habits because it’s what ultimately will set you off on the right track; make this new year a better one.
You’ve probably read and heard it all that if you focus hard enough on visualizing and meditating, eventually you’ll achieve your goals, and if you don’t, you’re doing it wrong; which is a recipe for failure.
The truth is no amount of meditation or visualization will help you if you don’t first take action.
Step #2: Change Your Habits
Habits are the key to success, and changing them it’s what will help you smash your goal for years to come, so you keep on welcoming new beginnings.
To change your habits, you need to take the time to analyze your bad habits, figure out what cues they trigger, and change them to new good habits.
To help you create a new habit, start with one small goal because even small wins count, create a cue and a reward system, and make a plan you can stick to.
For example, let’s say you want to start working out 3 times a week for an hour a day and lose 80% fat.
You could start by waking up a half-hour earlier in the morning every day to hit the gym and do some training before work. Then, after your workout session, reward yourself with a delicious breakfast.
Step #3: Write Your Goals
According to a study made by Dr. Gail Matthews, writing your goals makes you 42% more likely to achieve them because you’re forced to clarify what you want and you’re motivated to take action and overcome resistance.
Write the most important goals you want to achieve this year, no matter how big or small they are, put them down on paper.
Here’s an example of the personal goals I’ve written down for this year look like:
- Write 10 posts per month on my blog (at least).
- Get at least 10 more readers on my blog every month until the end of the year.
- Build better relationships with other bloggers and people that inspire me.
Step #4: Make SMART Goal Setting
The acronym “SMART” has been used to set goals since 1981 by Peter Drucker, who believed that a manager should also know how to measure their effectiveness. This concept can be applied successfully in many areas of life. In the case of goals, the criteria are:
Specific: The goal must be precise and realistic. The goal of “I want to lose weight” is too general because it does not define how much weight can be lost or when this should happen.
In contrast, a goal such as “I want to reduce my body fat from 30% to 25%” is better stated.
Measurable: If a goal is not measurable, it can’t be measured. For example, the goal “I want to lose weight” is difficult to measure if weight loss has already been achieved for several months or years.
A more suitable measure would be “I want to lose 4 pounds in the next 2 weeks”. Measurable goals increase the chances of success when they are tracked regularly.
Attainable: The goal must be within reach. For example, a goal such as “I want to reduce my body fat from 45% to 25%” is unattainable for most people.
A more realistic goal would be “I want to reduce my body fat from 30% to 25%”, which would still create significant health benefits.
Realistic: The goal must be achievable in reality, regardless of how difficult it is imposed on the outer world. This criterion is often inappropriately called “realistic”.
A goal such as “I want to increase my bench press from 100 pounds to 1000 pounds in six months” is unrealistic and unattainable for most people.
A more reasonable goal would be to “increase your bench press from 100 pounds to 250 pounds in six months”. This goal has a high likelihood of success if you work hard.
Time-related: A goal must be stated in the time when it should be reached. A goal is not “I want to lose weight”, but “I want to lose 20 pounds by June 1, 2018”.
These five criteria are important to set a successful goal, and SMART goal-setting can help you achieve your greatest success!
Step #5: Identify Your Obstacles
To be successful, you need to identify and understand your obstacles, how they make you feel, and their root cause.
Create a list of all the obstacles you encounter in reaching your goal. Then, sit down and analyze each obstacle to determine what causes it to be there and how they make you feel.
If you can’t remove the obstacle completely, find ways to reduce its effects. For example, It’s hard to go to bed early and wake up early if you stay up late every day.
So, try going to bed 10 minutes earlier each day until you reach your goal of getting eight hours of sleep a night.
Step #6: Don’t Chase Perfectionism
The belief that everything has to be perfect at all times is a detriment to your progress. Don’t chase or focus on perfection; you can break the rules, change direction, adjust your plans as necessary, and do what you need to do to move forward and keep going.
Step #7: Set Up Reminders
Put reminder notes or post-it notes on a daily basis in places you frequent often, like your bedroom, the kitchen, or next to your computer; anywhere where it makes sense to you, so you stay motivated.
Be creative – maybe set up a desktop notification that pops up every hour or so to remind you of what it is that you want to achieve next.
Some people even create daily “vision boards,” which is a collage of inspirational images and quotes that remind them of their goals.
Step #8: Be Accountable
Be accountable for your actions by involving someone, whether a family member or a close friend.
Tell them about what you are doing and ask them to call, text or email every day at a specific time so you can report back to them on your process and progress.
Don’t underestimate the importance of being held accountable; having someone else involved can keep you disciplined, responsible, and focused.
Step #9: Measure Your Progress
What gets measured gets improved, keep track of your process and monitor your progress – this way, it will be easier for you to see where you are right now, which areas need more attention if you should switch strategies, and how much closer (or farther) you are from achieving the goal; but remember to measure your progress you need to be persistent.
Step #10: Don’t Quit
Did you have a bad day, week, or month? That’s fine; you can take a break but don’t use that as an excuse to quit; it’s all part of the journey and you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be (even if it doesn’t seem like it).
Instead, keep the consistency of your work going and stick to your goals because it’s only a matter of time before you reach your goals and achieve the life you want. This 30-Day Challenge will bring you faster and much closer a to your goals and will help you transform your life in a span of 30 days.
However, it’s important to understand that all goals are different, and each goal has its challenges. You should keep in mind that even though there are general principles for setting goals, every case will be unique.
The steps above are just a guide for you to follow when setting goals, but as long as you know why you want to achieve your goals — instead of daydreaming about them — you will set up guidelines that suit your needs.
Once you decide your goals and how to achieve them, all there is left for you to do is take action and enjoy the process; don’t let your goals just be dreams, make them a reality.