Learn A Better Way To Set Achievable Goals

“Adam’s dad woke him up one Saturday morning and asked him to get dressed for a trip he's just mentioning without any questions.

Adam did as he said. He got dressed and got in the car. After many hours on the road, Adam's dad didn't say a word about where they were headed.

Adam's dad suddenly got out of the car and asked Adam to continue the journey without him. He didn't tell Adam where he should go or what direction he should go. All he told Adam was to continue driving.”

Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

If you were Adam, how would this situation make you feel?

You'd probably feel lost, confused, frustrated, overwhelmed, uncertain, and abandoned.

What if I told you this is the way you make your brain feel all the time?

Yes, you guessed right. You are Adam's dad, and your brain is Adam. And unlike Adam's dad, you do this to your brain all the time.

You always need your brain to achieve your goals, but you don't give it a clear direction; you expect it to just navigate to success on its own without any map, form of direction, or little or no information.

Your brain is probably furious at you the same way Adam is at his father. Feeling abandoned without direction, it's bound to get lost, get tired, unmotivated, and even unhappy. 

I hope you understand how you make your brain feel now. Oh, your brain can't feel these things you say. But it can; remember, the brain is the organ that feels.

However, it's a new year, so why not a new you? A “you” that won't make the brain feel lost, uncertain, or abandoned. A “you” that will keep the brain focused and motivated and guide it all through the journey. 

How Will You Become “The New You"?

How does one become a new person?

You can become a new person by letting go of old habits and learning new ones. In this case, you'll be letting go of bad habits that are likely keeping you from achieving your goals like:

• Procrastination 

• Perfectionism

• Negative self-talk 

• Lack of specific goals

• Unrealistic expectations 

And learning positive and healthy habits like:

• Mindfulness 

• Self-awareness 

• Affirmations 

• Realistic goals setting 

• Create a goal map

Benefits Of These New Habits 

You can't accommodate more people in your home if you don't have enough space. You simply have to let some people out to let new people in. 

The same thing goes for our habits as well; you need to let go of old habits to welcome in new habits. Let's discuss these habits:

Procrastination 

This is a very popular term, and if you are not familiar with it, procrastination simply means intentionally delaying an activity for no reason whatsoever. It's one unhealthy habit that can be found in nine out of ten individuals.

How To Overcome Procrastination 

We'll discuss two habits that can successfully overcome procrastination:

Mindfulness: This is the practice of being fully present and aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings in the moment. Mindfulness increases your self-awareness, helping you recognize and overcome procrastination patterns.

Goal Map: A goal map is a visual representation of your goals and steps to achieve them. It will help you break down your goals and large tasks into smaller, simple tasks, making it easier to start.

Perfectionism 

This refers to the tendency to set too high standards for oneself and others. While some of these standards could be met, others struggle with low self-esteem and problems in their daily life activities when they are unable to meet these standards.

How To Overcome Perfectionism 

Self-awareness: It is the ability to recognize and understand your own thoughts, feelings, and actions and how they impact your behavior and choices. It helps you recognize perfectionistic tendencies and challenge them.

Realistic Goal Setting: This is simply explanatory enough; this means setting goals that are within your abilities and capabilities. It encourages setting achievable goals rather than aiming for perfection.

Negative self-talk 

This is undoubtedly one of the habits that can keep you stagnant for a very long time without figuring it out. 

Negative self-talk is a persistent inner voice that criticizes and doubts you, often in an automatic and subconscious way. It can be a relentless pattern that can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, self-doubt, and even depression.

How To Overcome Negative Self-Talk 

Affirmations: These are positive statements people say to themselves to help them deal with negative thoughts, feelings, or situations. The goal is to replace negative self-talk with positive and uplifting statements.

Mindfulness: It increases self-awareness, helping you recognize and challenge negative self-talk.

Lack Of Specific Goals

Not having clear and specific goals can lead to confusion, frustration, and failure to achieve the desired outcome.

How To Overcome Lack Of Specific Goals 

Goal Map: Create a goal map to help you visualize and clarify your goals, making them more specific and actionable.

Realistic Goal Setting: It encourages setting clear and achievable goals.

Unrealistic Expectations 

Like perfectionism, unrealistic expectations are expectations that are unlikely or impossible to achieve.

How To Overcome Unrealistic Expectations 

Realistic Goal Setting: It helps you set achievable goals that align with your resources and skills.

Self-awareness: It increases understanding of your strengths, weaknesses, and limitations, helping you set more realistic goals.

Conclusion 

Equipped with this knowledge and the willingness and readiness to take action, you can overcome the negative habits that hinder your ability to create intentional goals and achieve greater success.

While all these guarantee the creation of achievable goals, in order to truly achieve your goals, you have to take action and be consistent about it. Only then will you be able to achieve your goals!