What stops you from reaching your goals? I know for me the first thing I have to do is step up closer to the mirror and take a good hard look at myself. I am the only one who stops myself from reaching my goals.
I am often reminded of this quote when I consider my goals:
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” ~ Jim Rohn
Daily disciplines are truly the stepping stones towards our futures, yet they seem to be so difficult to implement. In some areas of my personal and professional life, it seems to take years to even take the tiniest step forward.
Over time, I have found that if I can boil something down to a very small action, I have the best shot of reaching my goals. As an example, I decided nearly two years ago to start working out and getting in shape. Since working out was something that I never enjoyed in my earlier years, I had to find some way to break this down into a step that I could accomplish. So here’s what I did:
I decided to start by drinking more water each day. That was a small attainable goal that became the catalyst for me reaching my ultimate goal of daily aerobic and weight training exercise.
Even though, at the time, that decision to drink more water seemed like a small victory, it did in the end prove to be enough of an accomplishment. That small success motivated me to take another step, to accomplish more, and to continually challenge myself to do more.
Motivation comes AFTER action, contrary to most beliefs. So how do we get motivated? We take action.
The most important thing you can do today is take action. Don’t wait for tomorrow, don’t wait for the perfect situation. Step up today and take action.
If it’s an overwhelming goal, break it down to something that you can handle in one small task. Succeed at the simplest of tasks and build from there. It works. I promise you.
How do you reach your goals? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
*feature photo courtesy of PhotoEverywhere