Achieving your Goals when the going gets tough

Sunday, February 25, 2018

  How are those January goals coming along?
Listen here:
 
Well, chances are, you are right on target. For some of us, life happened. We never left our goals, we are just not moving as fast as we want to. The good news is that if it takes more than a few tries to really achieve your goals, you and I qualify. Even if we are moving in slow motion, we are making progress. 
Here are a few things to consider as we achieve these big goals in this year.  

Adjust as you go. When we initially write down our goals, few of us realize there will be obstacles on our way. In order to reach your goal, you must adapt as we go. I remember taking long trips from Mississippi to other States for my summer internships. When I went to Newark, N.J., I decided to drive by West Virginia first and see my friend Jane Ellen. I hit many detours but as I adjusted my travel route, I got to my final destination. Reaching a goal works the same way. So you didn't get out of debt in January? Adjust as you go and stay the course. The same thing applies to other goals. We can always learn from where we've been if we don't lose sight of where we are going. 

Rekindle the fire often. There's fire in our souls that's lit when we first set our goals. That fire slowly dismisses as the wind of normalcy blows through our lives. One of the ways to rekindle that fire is to remember why you lit it in the first place. Remembering only works if we keep our why visible. I will be honest and tell you that I have adapted my strategy over the years. When my goal was to obtain an academic degree, I would look at the course book as the reminder of my way as well as my how. I  wanted a degree and the only way to get one was to complete the courses on that book. Each time I finished a required class, I'd mark it off. After a few years I was able to complete all the requirements that led me to my degrees. When I have a nutrition or fitness goal, I keep a visual reminder in my kitchen or in my Notes app. My why is firmly established. I just need to keep that reminder in front of my eyes. In a way, you do become what you behold. 

Dream on purpose today. Dreams are amazing things. They can exist between the start and finish lines of a goal. Dreams, not the ones you have at night but the ones in your imagination, are calibrators of your goals. When you feel like giving up, your dreams will remind your very being that you have a reason to persist. So dream on purpose today. When I was training for my first marathon, I dealt with a lot uncertainty. The worse time happened in the final weeks of my training when I had to take off due to a sinus infection. My dreams calibrated my being into believing my dream was still possible. I beheld a mental image of myself, arms lifted up and index fingers pointed to heaven, finishing my first marathon in glory. 3 weeks later, I was there. Dream on purpose today my friend.