Goal Realization – It’s All in the Follow-Through

Goal setting is one thing, following through is quite another. How many of us have set a New Year’s Resolution to eat better, exercise more, and become all-around more dynamic and healthy people?

We start off with high hopes and loads of motivation, but soon enough the minutia of everyday life seems to interfere and make our goals increasingly difficult to achieve.

The truth is that articulating your goals is an important first step, but actually achieving them is the real stuff of life. There is no feeling quite like setting a goal, and then setting upon steadily achieving it.

In fact, most people who have been successful at setting and achieving their goals will tell you that the process is more important than the final result. That old saying, it appears, rings true: the journey really is more important than the destination.

For it is in the journey, process, or whatever you would like to call it, that you learn how to work. In the process of achieving your goals, you will confront your greatest strengths and weaknesses, you will find out who your friends are, as opposed to people who would prefer to see you languish.

If you’re ready to set off on your own personal journey to achieve your goals, here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Perhaps the first thing you can do to set off on realizing your goal is also one of the simplest things you will do. Take out a pad of paper and pen and write down your goals. Be specific. Do you want to lose ten pounds by March? Open a new restaurant? Go to graduate school?

Make a list. Be bold and think big. Remember that no one will see this list except for you. This simple step—writing things down—can be a surprisingly powerful tool on the road to achieving your goals.

Most people have goals, but they are usually rather hazy, hovering at the margins of their minds, never quite coming into fruition. Writing your ideas down forces you to confront your desires, to be specific about what you want, and how you can go about achieving your goals.

Simply articulating your goals is quite powerful, but that is only the first step on your journey.

In order to realize your goals, you will have to master the art of commitment. Commitment is something you can decide to do. It is something you can cultivate through the steady process of your work.

If you pursue the right kind of goals, commitment will be less of a problem. What are the ‘right’ types of goals? The right kind of goal for you could be the goal that you have carried with you for a long time, maybe all your life. Something you haven’t been able to get yourself to do yet, but can’t seem to let it go.

It is something you have always wanted to do, but resisted pursuing because you were afraid of falling flat on your face, or maybe you considered yourself too busy, too short on resources. The truth is that no matter how you rationalize it, there is no truly validating excuse for not pursuing your goals.

Once you come to terms with your goals, you consciously decide to pursue them. With this decision comes the work of commitment. If you are pursuing goals that truly matter to you, the commitment part will come a bit easier.

Even the most committed dreamer will come upon roadblocks. For those moments of doubt, confusion, or just plain tiredness, there are certain things you can use to get you over these rough patches.

One of the most important things to remember is that it really is just a temporary rough patch. Everyone goes through periods where his or her goals appear insurmountable. But achievers don’t let it stop them from moving forward. Achievers regroup and find a way around, over, under, or through these temporary obstacles and they overcome them.

Give yourself a good deadline, especially if you tend to procrastinate. Giving yourself an allotted amount of time to achieve your goal can be a great motivator. Many times, the pressure of having a deadline hanging over your head can be just enough to keep you moving forward. I know that having a set deadline carved in stone has helped me continue past plateaus.

That being said, you must be specific about your goal. Visualize your successfully accomplishing it. Don’t say, “I will go back to school sometime in the next five years,” or “I will lose ten pounds by summertime.” Be specific! Use these as powerful affirmations of your determination and commitment and repeat them as often as you need to.

Take out your calendar and choose a date that gives you a reasonable amount of time to accomplish your goal, and see yourself actually doing it. Belief is critical, you must believe you have what it takes to see it through all the way to your goal.

Tell yourself, “I will go back to school in the fall semester,” or “I will lose 15 pounds by June 1st.” You are much more likely to realize your goal if you are specific and give yourself a reasonable but firm deadline.

Applying these principles, and coupling them with commitment and determination, will accelerate your goal achievement and surprise you with their effectiveness. Try it now!

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