10 Secrets to Crushing Any Goal

A year from now you’ll wish you’d started today”

Right now, in this moment, there is probably something that you want to do with your life that you’re not doing. Just give yourself a moment to really think about it. Close your eyes, take a long deep cleansing breath, and allow yourself to go there. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a huge life-changing thing (although it could be). Perhaps you’ve always wanted to learn to play a musical instrument or speak a foreign language, or maybe you’ve had a dream of moving to a new city, launching a whole new career, or starting a business. Whatever it is, just take a moment and think about that thing.

Now I want you to do something else with that thing you just thought about – imagine if you’d taken the necessary steps and pursued it exactly a year ago today. What if, over the past 365 days, you had taken some action towards that goal. Where do you think you’d be right now?

Depending on the goal, you could have already accomplished it or at least been a whole lot closer.

So what happened?

From my personal experience and observations I’ve made from those around me, there’s just one likely reason: you didn’t make your goal a top priority. Put another way, you didn’t change your routine or habits to support your goal. When this happens, it’s highly likely that you’ll end up spending time you didn’t even think you had, on distractions that bring you no value at all.

Here are 10 things you can do right now to break the cycle, gain momentum, and start accomplishing those goals that have been lingering in the background of your life for way too long.

If it’s important to you you’ll find a way, if it isn’t you’ll find an excuse.

1. Let go of the fantasy that you’ll enjoy it all the time. Just because you want to write a book, it doesn’t mean that you’ll actually feel like writing most of the time. Too often we put our goals in the “hobby” category of our life and think that because we’re not in the mood, it could mean that maybe we have the wrong goal, or we’re not ready. The reality is, no matter what it is, there will be plenty of times when you’re not in the mood to do it – do it anyway.
2. Treat it like it’s your job. I remember waking up on Monday mornings with a groan and thinking, “ugh, I don’t feel like going in to the office today…”, but what did I do? Like most other working adults, I got up, took a shower, got dressed, got to work, and did my job. Even when I’d rather be somewhere else, even when I was tired. When it comes to our personal goals, we tend to treat those differently and only give them attention when there’s nothing else to do, there’s nothing on TV, we’re well fed, feeling great, friends are busy, we’re trying to get out of doing something we really want to do etc. Make a decision right now to stop that practice. Treat your goal like it’s your job and get it done.
3. Remember the why. There’s a reason why you created your goal in the first place. It’s critically important that you keep that reason at the forefront of your mind. On those days when you’re not in the mood, remembering your why could be the boost you need to keep going. Whether you make it a daily reminder on your phone, a note you’ve written on your bathroom mirror, an image you’ve placed on your vision board, or something else, you should be reminded of your why at least six times a day.
4. Visualize success. Elite athletes often run their races in their mind before they even get on the field. Visualizing your success and allowing yourself to feel the emotions like it has already happened is a very powerful exercise that has been scientifically proven to increase the likelihood of success. Daydream. Surround yourself with reminders of what that success looks and feels like, make a business card for that business you’re working towards, make a book cover for the book you want to write, put of a picture of a scale showing your goal weight etc.
5. Cut out the things that aren’t serving you. I’ll be honest, this is probably the most difficult; but if you really want to accomplish that goal, it’s necessary. If you spend too much unproductive time on social media, it’s time to deactivate the accounts and uninstall the apps. Maybe it’s time to cut cable, stop going to happy hour, purge every unhealthy food item from your house. Whatever it is, and I know you know what it is for you – take the bold step and cut it out (even if it is a relationship).
6. Have a plan for the lazy/ bad weather days. A friend of mine shared with me that although she went to the gym several times a week, she created an at home workout plan. She explained that she didn’t want car trouble or iced roads in winter to be excuses, so she made a back up plan. Another friend made the commitment that on the days when she legitimately couldn’t find big blocks of time, she would maximize every single opportunity (60 second planks and 20 pushups while she waited for the microwave, 50 squats while brushing her teeth, a podcast on nutrition and weight management while she drove to work…) there is always a way.
7. Track your progress and celebrate the milestones. You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Break your goals down into smaller manageable pieces and create milestones that you can track. Take time to recognize your progress and celebrate the wins along the way.
8. When possible, make it public and find some accountability partners. Several years ago, when I ran my first half marathon, I told just about everyone I knew that I’d signed up. Part of me was scared that I’d quit, but I knew that if everyone around me knew what I was up to, it would be a whole lot harder to back out. I was constantly asked by others about my training and how things were progressing, I also got a lot of encouragement. Making the goal so public definitely forced me to stay on track. Share your plans, seek out accountability partners who will follow up with you and ask about your progress.
9. When necessary, make it private and avoid the naysayers. While this advice directly contradicts my previous tip, it’s important to use your best judgement when sharing your goals with others. Some people are negative and toxic. If you have people around you who will not support or even respect your goals, break away from them. Hearing repeatedly “it’ll never work” or “you can’t do that” takes an emotional toll. Protect your goals from those who are toxic, but seek out a support system.
10. Be kind to yourself – it’s not all or nothing. Aim for progress not perfection, making a mistake isn’t a reason to give up completely, instead use the experience to learn, grow and get better. Too often I see people give up completely after a misstep. Just because you broke your diet at lunch doesn’t mean you should now eat unhealthy food for the rest of the day/ week. Correct the error, recommit, and move forward.

Accomplishing a goal is typically a very simple process. There are so many tools and resources available today. Regardless of what it is you want to do, most likely someone has already created a framework, written a book, or created videos showing you how to make it happen. While the process is simple, most likely, it’s not easy because we are standing in our own way. Focus on these 10 steps, make your goal a priority, and start living that great life you’ve been dreaming about.