Setting goals is a very positive and wonderful thing. Setting goals gives us something to work towards and affords a sense of achievement when we reach our goals. The incredible rewards of all our hard work and dedication keeps us focused on moving forward and encourages us to set new goals and dream new dreams. Achieving our goals motivates us to pursue continued growth and development. However, not achieving our goals despite all our hard work and dedication can be devastating, discouraging, and depressing. We often fall into the “why even bother” mindset, which is vastly damaging and detrimental to our sense of self-worth and confidence. We become unmotivated to pursue new goals for fear of failing...again, which in turn causes us to become stuck in a repeating pattern of discontent and unhappiness; completely lacking any motivation to work to bring change to our lives. When we fail to achieve our goals it most often isn’t due to a lack of effort, but rather failing to create and implement an achievable action plan to work towards our goals. When creating an action plan to achieve our goals, we need to remember to work SMARTER, not HARDER. If you are diligently and faithfully working toward your goals, yet still failing to achieve them, there are 5 keys reasons you are not reaching your goals. Are you setting the right kind of goals and creating an action plan that you can faithfully stick to. Ask yourself if your goals are SMART. Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely Goals that do not meet SMART criteria may be difficult to achieve, or may not offer long-term satisfaction after they are achieved. Identifying clear goals helps minimize wasted time and energy on things that drain your determination, motivation, and initiative. Specific In being specific and detailed, you lay out exactly what you wish to accomplish with your goal, and why. Will it be necessary to involve other people in the achievement of your goal? If so, who are they? The challenges, obstacles, and restraints involved in achieving your goal also need to be identified, so that you can plan for ways to deal with them if or when they present themselves. When a goal is too vague and lacks specific details, you will most likely lose interest, and struggle to find the determination to achieve it. Measurable Your goal must be measurable. How will you know when you have achieved your goal? This step is where you will answer the details of how much, or how many. How much weight do you want to lose? How many new clients would you like to work towards retaining? Leaving the numbers blank in this step leads to uncertainty and possibly a fear of the unknown. You will be significantly less likely to work towards achieving a goal you are unable to measure or count. Attainable It is important to identify the steps you will need to take in order to achieve your goal. You must ask yourself if you are able to grow and expand in order to achieve a very large goal, or even a seemingly impossible goal? If a goal seems impossible, it is best to break it down into smaller more attainable goals that progress toward achieving the large goal. If a goal feels unattainable to you, you are not likely to put forth much genuine effort in achieving it. Realistic How will your goal help you achieve happiness or fulfillment in your life? If your goal is not aligned with your personal core values, you are much less likely to put in the required effort to achieve the goal. You are also much more likely to work towards and achieve a goal that is in alignment with your personal strengths and needs. When planning your goal, ensure it is in alignment with what you personally value. You are most likely to work towards a goal that will result in deep fulfillment and meaning once it is achieved. Timely What is the time frame you are allotting for yourself to achieve your goal? It is important that you plan a realistic time frame within which you desire to achieve your goal. Is your goal achievable in 5 days, 5 weeks, or 5 months, and what can you do within this time frame? Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with your time frame, but also don’t box yourself into a time frame that is too short, constrictive, or stressful. This will just cause you to become overwhelmed and possibly even give up, which would obviously be counterproductive. Give yourself enough time to realistically achieve your goal. I encourage you to write down your goals and include as much detail as possible. Don’t be afraid to dream big, and then break your larger goals into smaller achievable goals. Then, when you are ready to create an action plan to work on your goals, make sure it’s a SMART one. Brightest blessings, lovelies! Teigan Draig About the author: Teigan Draig is a Spiritual Life Coach offering one on one and group spiritual life coaching to empower women to explore healing & transformation so they may live a balanced happy life that fosters joyful freedom, bold independence, and gentle strength. The freedom to be your truest self and live the life you deserve and love is a very powerful thing! Teigan resides in Ohio with her son--the light of her life, and their adorably demanding cat, Dime.
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Self-love is beautiful, comforting, and absolutely vital to your well-being. It is filling your own well so that you may have more to give in service to others. You cannot love and have compassion for others if you are not loving and having compassion for yourself. Self-love does not have to be elaborate and time consuming, although it certainly can be if you want it to be. It is simply honoring yourself and caring for yourself in mind, body, and spirit. I am often asked about ways to practice self-love. Use your interests and passions as a guide to help you come up with ways to practice self-love that are enjoyable to you. Below is a list of 35 ideas for practicing self-love. Use it as inspiration to help you come up with your own ways to practice self-love that are unique to you. 35 Ways to Practice Self-Love
Feel free to share your self-love ideas in the comments and share this article with a friend.
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AuthorTeigan Draig - Empowering women to live from their inner truth with boldness, confidence, and strength. Categories |