10 Ways To Stay Focused and Meet Your Goals
February 20, 2013Stay Focused and Meet Your Goals
Are you ready for new beginnings in the New Year? Turn your New Year's resolutions into goals. Are you ready to meet your goals? Check out the 10 important ways to stay focused and meet your goals!
10 Ways To Stay Focused and Meet Your Goals
Know that mistakes will happen no matter what.
Remember that you are only human. You will make errors and you might need to ask for help, but mistakes are either correctable if you keep going or less important than you thought they were. Put it in the past and move forward to meet your goals.
Remember that temporary setbacks or a halt in progress are not failures unless you give up.
Keep your focus on the long-term when discouraged by slow progress, temporary setbacks, or lack of progress. Remember the reasons why you want to meet your goals.
Relax and meet your goals!
Fretting never helped anyone, and it also distracts and discourages. Here's one option: do deep breathing exercises. As you inhale, allow your abdomen to relax. Count to four, then count again as you exhale. Notice your muscles...are they tense? Give them permission to unwind! Another option is to visualize a favorite place, like the beach, as realistically as you can.
Take care of yourself.
Get enough sleep and do at least some exercise within your medical limits. You should continue to socialize and keep caffeine intake minimal. In short, take care of YOU! These things keep your spirits up.
Keep your sense of humor.
Look for the funny aspects of what you are doing and of any mistakes you make. Pay attention to others who make light of their mistakes with humor. Late night TV talk show hosts are often good at this. If a joke falls flat during the monologue, they often start making fun of the mistake and end up doing even better. Adapt this approach to your own situation.
Have a plan with concrete, realistic, and manageable action steps.
Motivation is a great start, but it won't last or keep you going if you don't harness it. To meet your goals, break your plan into small steps and short-term goals. You are less likely to feel overwhelmed. Goals work best when they are very specific, realistic, fit your own style, and are concrete. On a project, for example, your first goal might be to assemble information, the second to get materials together, and the third to get organized. Next, break the project into sub-steps and only start once you have a plan. Start small with exercise goals. For example, make it a goal to just walk two minutes down the sidewalk and back twice a week, or to park a little further than you usually would from the door of a store when you run errands, maybe three times a week.
Give yourself credit for what you have accomplished and for your efforts, rather than dwelling on what you have not yet accomplished.
How do you feel when others notice what you didn't do? I'll bet you work harder when your efforts and accomplishments are noticed and appreciated.! Do the same for yourself in that internal "self-talk".
Reward yourself for meeting small stepwise goals.
Give yourself a treat like taking a bubble bath, renting a movie, doing something fun, or getting something for your hobby. Be sure you use this as a reward to meet your goals. If you will do these "treat activities" anyway, choose another reward. Reward yourself when you meet your goal for each day, for each week, for each month, and also for goals met at longer intervals. Reward size should be in proportion to the size of the goal you met.
Have someone to whom you are accountable.
Share your frustrations and challenges with a mentor, friend, relative, counselor, or personal coach. Be sure to find someone who listens well and helps you find your own solutions and way rather than jumping in too quickly with advice (unless you are asking for advice).
Have someone you trust to talk with you.
Share your frustrations and challenges with a mentor, friend, relative, counselor or personal coach. Be sure to find someone who listens well and helps you find your own solutions and way rather than jumping in too quickly with advice (unless you are asking for advice).
Use these tips to meet your goals!
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Christina Sparks, PhD, is an experienced Clinical Psychologist, former Business Owner, Trainer and Speaker, and former Sales Professional with a demonstrated history in psychotherapy specializing in PTSD. Strong healthcare and business professional skilled in Training, Business management, Service Marketing, Product Sales, Customer Relationships and Customer Service. EMDR (EMDRIA certified), Prolonged Exposure (VA Certified), Brief dynamic, REBT, CBT. |
