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If you aren’t who you want to be, or you want to be able to meet some big goals in your life, you certainly aren’t alone. However, if you have thoughts about not being good enough or you lack the belief that you’ll be able to accomplish the things you value, I can assure you you’re tripping yourself up. Negative thoughts and self-talk are rarely useful in getting yourself to accomplish anything.
But I know a few things that might be able to help you get moving in the right direction. With the help of a few industry leaders, you might find yourself moving closer and closer to your goals with each passing day, as well as growing far faster than you believed you were able to. If you’re interested in pushing yourself forward, continue reading for a few tips to reach your personal growth goals.
Envision Your Goals
When you know you’re planning on getting started on a brand new goal, it’s important to sit with it and envision what you’re trying to accomplish pretty early on. “If you’re planning on setting any goals for growth, make sure you know exactly what you want to accomplish,” says Dr. Michael Green, the Chief Medical Officer of Winona. “If you skip this step, you might start heading down the wrong path and losing sight of your final target.” Additionally, if you avoid doing this, you might find yourself wasting a lot of time working on things that didn’t lead to very much progress.
Taking it a step further, you may also want to write down exactly what it is you’d like to achieve, as well as why you want to reach that goal in particular. “It’s so essential to write down what you want to achieve,” explains Ryan Rottman, the Co-Founder and CEO of OSDB Sports. “Write down exactly what you want and why. This will keep you well-guided throughout your journey, as well as help you outline the exact steps you should take to reach your final destination.”
If you want to start feeling stronger because you want to perform better at work, then write that down. If you want to start running more so you can feel a little bit healthier, remember to write what feels “healthier” might mean for you, whether that’s feeling energized, getting more toned in a specific region, or something else entirely.
Develop a Plan
According to Juan Pablo Cappello, the Co-Founder and CEO of Nue Life, it’s necessary to develop a clear plan for how you’ll reach your goals. “Write down your goals, and then write down exactly how you’re going to achieve those goals,” explains Juan Pablo Cappello. Like if you want to work out and build your strength, say how often you’re going to work on weightlifting, for how long, and a rough estimate of the amount of progress you want to make every couple of weeks. Get really specific.”
Getting more specific might actually be helpful if you’re developing new goals, especially in the planning stages. Certain workout routines may be helpful for some health goals, but not all of them are perfect for everything you might want to accomplish. If you want to focus on building strength, it might not be the best idea to focus on running instead of weightlifting, for example.
Track Your Progress
You may also want to strongly consider tracking your progress, as this will help you understand exactly how much you’ve grown. Matt Woods, the Co-Founder and CEO of SOLD.com says, “It’s so important to track your progress. Get a before picture, and take pictures every week or so. But don’t just take them to take them. Look at them while you’re making progress. If you want to get better at painting, take a picture of your first piece, then another once you’ve made some progress, and so on. Periodically check back and see how much you’ve grown.”
However, while you’re tracking your progress, it’s important to remember not to hold yourself up to impossible standards. Remember to be patient with yourself as you go. “It’s so important to be patient with yourself,” explains John Berry, the CEO and Managing Partner at Berry Law. “If you want to make a certain amount of progress, you may not always be able to meet your expectations all at once. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t making progress or you’re at a complete standstill. That just means you need to take a step back, take a look at what is realistically possible, and keep going at it.”
Review Your Plan Regularly
You may also want to consider revisiting the plans you’ve made in order to reach your goals. “Try to revisit the outline you’ve set up for meeting your goals,” starts Andrew Chen, Chief Product Officer at Videeo.live. “And try to do that regularly, too. This way, you can see what isn’t working for you and change gears a little bit. It’s also a great way to track progress.”
By revisiting your goals, you can tweak anything that you don’t love for something that is far better for you and your needs. This is a great way to make sure you don’t get hurt, too overwhelmed, or insecure, as well as still make progress toward your big goals.
Develop a Growth Mindset
Psychology enthusiasts might be familiar with the growth mindset. Essentially, what this means is you don’t immediately expect yourself to be fantastic at everything that you try and choose to give up if you aren’t already the best.
“Remember that you’re not fixed, that you have the ability to grow,” says Zach Goldstein, the CEO of Public Rec. “If you convince yourself, you’ll never get better. But if you tell yourself that it’s possible for you to change, make progress, and improve, you’ll actually find it easier to get going on your goals every day.”
Prioritize Your Goals
“The goals you complete are the ones you prioritize and make time for,” explains Max Schwartzapfel, CMO of Fighting For You. “If you want to run faster, prioritize it and put it high up on your task list. Same if you want to get better at almost anything else. If you don’t make your goals a priority, you won’t make any progress, and it’s as simple as that.”
In other words, if you want to make sure you accomplish your goals, make sure they get done. Many of us don’t have the ability to get more than a few things done every day, so make sure any personal growth must get done every day, and maybe even very early on in the schedule of events. By making your goals a priority, you’re reminding yourself how important these targets are to you and how much you value them getting reached.
Implement a Reward System
You may also do well to give yourself a reward every time you reach a significant milestone in your goal’s progress. Personal growth is a little hard to track in terms of progress, but it can be done if you put your mind to it.
“Kids aren’t the only ones who respond to positive reinforcement,” states Director of Marketing and Communications of RPM, Drew Sherman. “If you want to feel accomplished, give yourself little rewards or treats every time you hit a big milestone. Go to your favorite restaurant, take yourself on a mini-shopping spree, or anything else that might make you feel like you’ve given yourself a treat.”
Act on Your Goals
It’s completely essential to get going on your goals and just to get yourself started. According to Amelia Earhart, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” In other words, even if you don’t particularly feel like working on your goals today, it might be worth it to tell yourself to get going just for five minutes. You might be surprised at how willing you are to keep going after that.
You may also want to fit your personal goals into a particular slot in your schedule. “Set aside the time to make progress towards your goals,” begins Brook Hiddink, President and CEO of Audacia Home. “Don’t make excuses to push it off. Go draw, play music, or work out. Whatever it is, schedule it into your day and make sure it happens.” This is a great way to ensure your goals get met.
Get Started Now
Mark Twain may have said it best when he said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” In other words, choose to get started immediately instead of waiting for a time when it might be more convenient. Oftentimes, that more convenient time never really arrives, so it’s far better to just get going now.
If you’ve struggled with keeping on track with your goals in the past, hopefully, this list is helpful to you and your endeavors. While it might feel good at the moment to stay as you are, I can guarantee you’ll appreciate your progress in the long run if you start taking steps toward improvement now.