I’m always amused during January and February when I set foot in the gym. It’s packed to the hilt with people desperate to get into shape and shed the Christmas holidays off their waists. I know their New Year’s resolution was to look better so they could feel better in themselves. The funniest part (and the truest) is this: come April the gym has halved in attendance.
How did this happen?
Most of those aspiring gym goers lost the motivation and inspiration to stick to their goals and New Year’s resolutions. That’s the bottom line.
This happens for several reasons:
- We make our goals too big to achieve – we want to improve our prayer life so we try to pray for two hours immediately instead of working slowly towards it
- We form our goals with a desire to perform and be noticed instead of rooted in our God-given identity.
- We don’t believe in ourselves much (if at all) so when we don’t meet our goals we lose heart and beat ourselves up.
- We don’t know how to be inwardly validated; thus, we focus on getting external validation which in itself is pretty difficult to find (or we find it but its impact is flatter than a pancake)
How to stick to your goals
The key to sticking to your goals is to follow these five tips on how to stick to your goals this year. These tips transform the reasons we forgo our goals into achievable success that will keep you moving forward throughout the year
#1 Believe in yourself
When I look around me, I see a world that is quick to judge, criticize and spew negativity. Ok, not everyone around us does this but we are exposed to a lot of it in our everyday life. I recently listened to a Ted Talk on improving self-confidence. The speaker mentioned how we are to believe in ourselves because there are enough people who don’t. I like his viewpoint. Why shouldn’t we believe in ourselves? We live in our lives every day; we can’t escape our own company. Surely, we can give ourselves a break and be that support system and best friend we’re trying to find.
If this isn’t enough motivation, here are some more. God believes in you. My favorite example of how much God believes in his children is Job’s story. Satan runs up to heaven to accuse Job of loving God because of his materialistic possessions. God knew better. He told Satan to go ahead and do his worst (within boundaries of course) because Job would not renounce God. God believed in Job’s love for him. He believed in Job.
If you believe in yourself and train your self-talk to reflect this, you’ll find yourself remaining more motivated and committed to your goals than before. Why? Because you know who you are. Your identity is secure.
#2 Keep your goals small and achievable
Another way we can stick to our goals this year is to ensure they are achievable and small. Setting a lofty goal may sound a
mbitious and fantastic, but, when it comes to reaching it, it morphs into the Tower of Babel. Immediately, our hearts sink down to the floor and we try gulp back our overwhelm. Before, you know it, we’ve abandoned ship. Goodbye goals.
No. You can be successful this year and achieve your goals. Here’s how:
Look at your goals and see how you can break them down into smaller goals. For example, a goal of losing 20 pounds this year can be made up of:
- Month 1 – lose 5 pounds
- Month 2 – lose 5 pounds
- Month 3 – lose 5 pounds
- Month 4 – lose 5 pounds
Small achievable steps will push you towards your goal and beyond.
#3 Stay inspired
We all run out of inspiration and motivation at some point. The trick is finding ways to keep that inspiration going. To do this, find out who inspires you – a celebrity, family member, blogger, author, friend, etc. Next, learn what ways you can find inspiration – YouTube videos, blog posts, books, music, podcasts, positive affirmations, etc.
Keeping yourself inspired will help drive you towards your goals. Instead of giving up, you can take on the little train “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I CAN!!!”
#4 Reward yourself
I confess I’m not always great at this area; however, the times that I do reward myself for sticking to my goals has helped encourage me to persevere to the end. Rewarding yourself as you reach each small goal will do the same for you. These rewards could be retail therapy, a date with yourself, new coloring goodies, a manicure, or whatever else works for you. It may be buying that new book you’ve had your eye on.
Assign to each of your goals a reward that you can look forward to. For example, I’m going to spring clean my kitchen this month and reward myself with that gorgeous chalkboard for my grocery list.
#5 Be accountable
Accountability means to give an account and helps us take responsibility for our choices and actions. It is common in the Christian circles; we see it as a motivator and a protective barrier. Of course, choosing the right person to be accountable to is vital for your success. The beauty of accountability is the subtle motivation it gives to each of us. By voicing our goals to someone else, we know we have made a promise worth keeping. We want to do what we say to maintain integrity and not let our confidant down.
What other ways have helped you stick to your goals? Please let me know in the comments 🙂
Resources to help you stick to your goals this year:
Disclaimer: This post has affiliate links which means that I get a small commission at no extra cost to you when you purchase products via these links. I recommend products and books I feel confident will help you grow in life and your walk with the Lord. 🙂
Daily Planners:
Weekly Planners:
Looking for an accountability partner? Look no further, I’m here to help you make this year a goal achieving year.
