Following Through to the End

A goal properly set is halfway reached. ~ Zig Ziglar

Listen. You know it’s a great idea to create and write down your goals, but if you don’t follow through with them, they won’t do you any good. It takes more than wishful thinking to follow through on your dreams. Learning a new skill, getting more education, or motivating yourself to change the way you eat takes specific steps.

Once you know how to create strong goals and how to plan to follow through on each one, you’ve learned a skill that will help you succeed for the rest of your life.

In everything that matters, it’s important to follow through. You wouldn’t ask someone on a date and then not show up, would you? Follow-through is important and can be achieved by having someone to help motivate you, breaking down your goals into small manageable steps and remembering why you are after the goal to begin with.

• Differentiate between short and long-term goals. This is your first step. You need to write down your goals and set a specific date you want to achieve the goals. Goals can be one month, three months, six months, one year, 5 years or any other amount of time. Short term goals might be something like losing five pounds in 2 months while a long-term goal could save $300,000 in 5 years to build a home.
• Have an accountability partner. This is someone who believes in you and can hold you accountable when you go off track or want to quit. An accountability partner is like a sports coach. They are there to guide you, make sure you do what you say you will and give you a good talking to when you fall off course.
• Visualize your goals every step of the way. Take time to visualize what the completed goal looks like. How does it feel? What will you be doing? What does it smell, taste, and look like? IF you need to, cut out or draw an image of the final goal. Imagine yourself in a situation to raise your motivation. When you run into a tough spell, take out your visualization to remind yourself why you are pursuing the goal.
• Break down your goals into smaller steps. Make each step small enough that it’s not so monumental that it takes you a long time to complete it. Instead have small tasks to complete towards the goal each day. Physically tick off completed tasks from your goal breakdown list. For instance, your big goal is to lose twenty pounds by eating healthily and exercising. Break this down to something like eat one fresh vegetable for each meal today. Walk for 5 minutes.
• Review often. Take time every month to review your goals. This keeps you on track and can help you see if you are pursuing a goal that no longer matters to you.
• Be consistent. Work on your goals every day. If you need to, tweak your habits. Work on changing old habits that won’t help you reach your goal. Begin building new habits.
• Reward yourself when you reach a milestone. Allow yourself to celebrate certain steps along the way.
• Practice self-forgiveness. If you fall off track, don’t beat yourself up. Be kind to yourself and then get back on track.