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5 Tricks to Help Meet Your Goals It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about getting healthy, job-related goals, marital issues, or potty-training. You name it! Follow-through BY YOU, and only you, is the key! You are the locksmith. No one’s gonna do it for you. No one will do it better than you. Following are five tricks that can help make meeting your goals by following through a little easier and better-tasting. 1. Keep your goal in mind using reMINDers. Why DO you want to do this, anyway? What’s your goal? How will it look when you meet it? What’s going to help you “Keep on keepin’ on”? When challenging circumstances arise, it’s easy to throw in the towel. You need a reminder in a form that speaks to you: A screenshot on your cell phone of a quote or picture, a song that you play to get pumped-up, wearing a certain bracelet on your arm, a Bible verse written on your mirror… Anything that can speak to you, personally, to remind you why you’re doing this hard thing. 2. Energize for the challenge. Sticking to something, and following through, takes energy. Depending on your goal, you may find yourself needing a little extra mental, physical, emotional or spiritual pampering. Put your needs first for a minute. Pray more, talk to someone who will encourage you, meditate and breathe to calm your thoughts. In my opinion, physical strength is the uppermost of these. Simply drinking more water, taking a short walk, eating a few dates or nuts instead of candy and chips, and getting to bed at a decent hour. These things seem elementary, but we all need a reminder of how these little changes can make us feel SO much stronger! 3. Ask for help. What? From whom? It doesn’t matter. Some people feel weak when they ask for help, but I think it shows strength! If you live in a new town and don’t know a single person, ask the grocery store guy what you should make for supper: There’s one less decision you have to make that day. Have your teenagers empty the dishwasher, and lock yourself in the bathroom for five minutes to read an inspiring article. Post a thought-provoking question to your Facebook friends. Ask a loved one for a three minute back rub. Only you know where your help is. Ask for it. 4. Reward yourself. Simple, right? But we can even lack follow-through on rewarding ourselves! Following through can feel like a chore. It’s ideal if we know we’ll get something (besides the thrill of meeting our goal) in return for our efforts. If you cleaned and organized your office, buy yourself a new lamp. Quit biting your nails? New polish is $3.00. 5. Do a trial run on following through. Feeling too lazy or weak to begin a process? Who’s up for a one day trial? I had a heck of a day yesterday. I was emotionally spent by the time my husband got home from work. I knew I needed to put my needs a little higher on the list today. I had a good sleep, an early alarm, time alone in my own thoughts, and a healthy breakfast. My little trial run of caring for myself has paid such big dividends just this morning, that I will continue it tomorrow. Little changes add up. Do a trial run and see for yourself. In the end, if there IS any magic to meeting new goals and making changes, the magic lies in YOU. Follow through. Put your nose down. Jump in. Commit. Keep on keepin’ on. Stick with it until the fruit of your labor is sweet. In the future, your current success will spur you to take on your next goal. You can do hard things! - Sarah Belle Cassidy |
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Sarah Belle Cassidy is a wife and stay at home mother to four kids, two girls and two boys, ages 17, 15, 12 and 2. She once owned a small-town coffee shop/restaurant for eight years, was an apprentice electrician, and homeschooled her oldest three children for eight years. After 20 years of marriage, three children, a divorce, remarriage, and a tag-a-long child at "40-something," Sarah is learning to put the oxygen mask on herself first, and THEN attend to the various needs of a busy family. She says, "Coffee, love, humor, music, research, and plenty of hugs are my fuel." |