Whether it’s a new year, a new week or some other date on the calendar that you decide is going to be the day that you set a goal or a challenge for yourself and commit to achieving it; staying positive, motivated, and focused will be key to helping you reach it.
From Vision Boards and personal journals to supportive friends, there are lots of different methods to employ that can give you that extra motivation you need to make your goals become reality. Listed below are just a few of the many things you can do, create, and use as you journey towards becoming a better version of yourself.
1| Create a Vision Board
Vision boards have gained popularity in recent years as a way to create a visual display of the things that you want to attract into your life. They can be physical boards and posters, or they can be created digitally. Whatever method you employ, the premiss is the same, you find images and words of items you wish to obtain or a mindset you want to adopt.
If you have a desire to travel, your board can be filled with places you want to visit. If you want to become your own boss, chose images of things that will happen when you become your own boss. If you want to feel more empowered or confident, put encouraging words and images that show empowerment and confidence on your board. The thing to remember when creating your personal vision board is to use images that depict how you want your future life to look. The board you make will be a tangible reminder designed to keep you focused on bringing to life what you desire.
2| Create a Pinterest board
Pinterest boards are similar to vision boards but give you the ability to add new ideas and link articles any time you want. Using this digital platform is an easy way to help you find and organize inspirational messages, quotes, pictures, and ideas of the things you want to do and to try. What’s great about Pinterest is the option to create different boards to compartmentalize each of your goals and projects.
If your goal is to become more positive and motivated, create a board specifically to collect motivational quotes. If your goal is to lose a few pounds, then put together a healthy lifestyle board, filled with meal planning and exercise routines. Whatever you are trying to achieve, your Pinterest boards will help you stay motivated anytime and anywhere.
3| Start a Personal Journey Journal
Writing down the progress you make and the feelings that go along with it in a journal or personal diary is another technique that goal-oriented people use to help stay focused and motivated during their journey to success. Your personal journey notebook can be used to jot down new ideas, to document what milestones you have reached, and even be a place for you to write positive mantras to read over and over again.
For some people, their journal can be used as a prayer request notebook and then tracked to see which prayers were answered and how. For others, their personal journal is used in lieu of a vision board, allowing a more fluid approach to bringing their ideas to life. Whichever way you decide to utilize a personal journal, putting your thoughts in written form is a great way to document the progress you are making.
4| Use Index Cards or Post-It Notes To Keep You Inspired
Whether it is index cards or little Post-It notes, writing down encouraging messages and personal mantras is an effective way to remind yourself that you’ve got this. Placed in various locations, — on a bathroom mirror, refrigerator, on your computer screen, on the dashboard of your car, etc. — these messages of positive encouragement are designed to provide little bits of motivation and the confidence you need to stay focused on becoming a better version of yourself. Many successful people utilize this method to bolster their confidence and to stay focused on their goals.
5| Sign a Commitment Contract with Friends
Gather up a few of your closest BFFs for a unique GNO to discuss what each of your goals or personal challenges are. Take the time to write down what it is that you each want to accomplish and then put together a contract saying you will do what it takes to bring about the results you want and to state that you will also commit to encouraging and helping everyone else in the group stay on track as well. By creating a commitment contract, you are putting in writing a start date to take that first step in your journey.
This project is also designed to act as a support element during your pursuit of achieving success. It says that you are not alone and that your tribe will have your back. Plan to get together with your group periodically to check up on each other’s progress and make sure to encourage those in the group that may need a little extra push or emotional support to get back on track. As each person in the group reaches their goals, do be sure to celebrate their success. When we support each other, great things happen!
6| Take a Class, Sign Up for an Activity, or Join an Association
There is no better way to gain the skills and to meet like-minded people who share your passions than to join a class, activity, or association that pertains to the subject of your goal.
If your goal is to become a better photographer, then sign up for a local photography class. If you want to lose weight and get in shape, join a support group or take a few fitness classes. If you are seeking spiritual growth, join a personal study group, enroll in yoga or meditation classes, or become more active in your local church, temple, or mosque. The more you associate with others that share your passion and the more you learn and do, the better the chances are that you will obtain the results you desire.
7| Create a “Happy Notes” jar
Being grateful creates long-lasting joy and happiness, and writing down the happy things you experience and documenting when you reach little milestones will help you to become more grateful. This type of project is typically done as a year-long or monthly challenge, depending upon how much time you want to commit to it.
It is a very simple project and challenge; simply write down on a slip of paper what was good about that day or what progress you made towards reaching your goals for that week. Even if this is a struggle at first, there is always something to be grateful for and milestones met that can be documented. At the end of a year/month, read your notes and you will see just how far you’ve come in your journey and just how much happiness there is in your life.
8| Do something every day that relates to your personal goal.
The shift from dreaming about what you want to accomplish in life to actually making it happen requires action. There is no other way. To become successful at reaching your goals, commit to and challenge yourself to do something every day that relates to it. It has been said that it takes 10,000 hours in order to be a master at what you desire to do, so it is important to log those hours in a little bit at a time.
If your goal is to lose 20 pounds or more, then start by doing one thing that will help you lose that first pound and then make sure you put a plan in place each day to keep you eating healthy and to move more — even if it is a quick walk around the block, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking in the furthest spot in the parking lots from the store. If you want to write that book, commit to writing just 10 minutes a day. If you want to start a business, spend a few minutes a day researching articles related to your industry and watching “how-to” YouTube videos. Whatever your goal is, unless you work towards it, your desire for it will never materialize.
9| Create a Checklist or Blueprint of What You Need To Do To Reach Your Goal
If you are serious about achieving success with whatever you set your sights on, be it to become more confident, to face your fears, to start a new business, to write that novel, or anything else you desire, then you need to create a plan of action. We all put together our daily “to-do” lists so that we don’t forget to do an important task or necessary errand. Reaching your goals should be treated in the same manner. Figure out what steps you will need to take, what new skills you will need to acquire, and make a checklist so that you can stay on track and know what you need to do next.
10| Reward yourself
All work and no play will only make life tedious and the journey towards reaching your goals not as much fun as you once imagined. Focusing on your goals and dealing with both the occasional setback and experiencing little successes requires both a little TLC and celebration. As you make progress and/or achieve what you set out to do, be sure to take time to reward yourself. Don’t be afraid to bask in your own sunlight and to take the time to treat yourself to something nice — a small present, a day at the Spa, time spent relaxing, or taking that vacation you’ve been dreaming about. Celebrating and being able to recharge your soul will give you the energy needed to keep you forging ahead.
As always, please drop us a comment and let us know what your favorite idea was and, if you’ve used any of the methods listed, how did it help you reach your goals? Feel free to “Share”, “Like”, “Tweet”, “Pin”, and “Link” this list to inspire your friends and colleagues.
