6 ways to stay motivated and accomplish goals
Hope everyone is having a great 2020 New Year. By now, you should have already identified the vision, goals and tasks to accomplish those goals. If you need any help with it, check out the video on goal setting I published earlier.
It is the 3rd week of January and this is the time when people need support to stay on track with their new year resolutions.
Research suggests that by about January 10th-12th, 80% of the people fall off their new year resolutions.
Why is this? What makes people lose focus from accomplishing their goals?
Based on my experience and research there is one single factor that makes the difference between succeeding and failing to accomplishing your goals; it is MOTIVATION. Below are 6 ways to stay motivated and ensure you reach your goals this year.
1. Have an accountability partner
I have already discussed this in detail in my previous post. A quick recap is, having an accountability partner helps you stay focused and keep you on track. These like minded folks could be your significant other, trusted friend, mentor or anyone who wants to see you succeed. You mutually agree to check in with each other by meeting them on a daily/weekly basis, text messaging, calling them or whatever works for you.
2. Have inspirational quotes
I'm a sucker for inspirational quotes and if you see my office which looks something like this:
You will notice I have printed out inspirational quotes and stuck it all over the place; not only in my office but in the living room, kitchen, bedroom, on my fridge, phone, desktop. Every time I feel tired, lazy or low; these quotes help me get back on track and keeps me focused on what I want to accomplish in life. Some quotes I live by are:
"Happiness comes through good judgment, good judgment comes through experience, and experience comes through bad judgment "
"Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties today of its strength"
"If you take a chance in life sometimes good things happen sometimes bad things happen. But if you don't take a chance nothing happens"
"We all have 2 lives, the 2nd one starts when we realize we have only one"
"Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble "
"Follow your heart but take your brain with you "
3. Print out your goals
Everyday, you need something to remind you about your goals. Make sure you document them and take a print out of it. Then, stick it in the bedroom or any place where this would be really visible to you. This constant reminder of your goals helps to stay focused.
4. Measure progress
One major reason people go off their new year resolutions is they do not track progress. They are unaware of the positive steps they are taking towards leading a better life as they have no way of knowing that they are heading in the right path.
Have a measuring sheet where you measure your progress and track them on a daily/weekly basis. I use different tracking sheets throughout the year. Below you will find a picture of my weight and personal tracking sheet:
I divide my goals into different columns in the sheet and track them daily. This gives me focus on my goals and visibility on my progress. If you want to use one of my templates you can download it here.
5. Change your surroundings
If you want to lose weight, it does not make sense to have chocolates lying all around the house. You need to take action to clean it up. Also, surroundings include the people you hang out with. There are always people who are jealous about your vision and want to bring you down. Cut ties with them immediately. You do not need negativity in your life but only positive thoughts and people who support you.
CHANGE YOUR SURROUNDINGS NOW!!!
6. Reward yourself and celebrate your wins
Quite often we are so focused on accomplishing our goals that we do not celebrate the small wins along the way. This is a mistake I continue to make and I am in the process of changing it.
If something great happened related to your goals; go out of dinner, have an awesome time. If you closed that first deal of the year, go to a bar, have an awesome beer.
CELEBRATE YOUR WINS, YOU DESERVE IT!!!
Remember, you matter!!! You spend so much time taking care of others, family, people at work and everyone around you; don’t you deserve the same level of attention and care? The power of delay gratification is amazing. You take small steps, celebrate the small wins and finally when you see your vision become a reality the feeling is priceless; trust me, I have been there.
Hopefully I have inspired you to not give up on your dreams and keep going. If you have any questions or want to share anything about your journey add them in the comments below. Would love to hear about it.