The story is familiar. January has come and gone, and so has your resolve for this year's resolutions or goals. Just cutting to the honest truth here. We have all done it, made well-meaning goals to help us acclimate to the fresh start of a new year. Taking the lessons of the last, and resolving to start the work in the new. Somewhere along the way, that excitement and passion for those new goals fizzles out. Those running shoes have gathered dust by the door, that cookbook’s binding is still stiff, and those craft supplies are still in the bag. After all of that resolving you are almost at an impasse with yourself. You know what MUST be done, but lack the drive to do it and making something a habit is hard. The task suddenly seems enormous, an overwhelming feat that you'll never be able to accomplish. Let me tell you, you are not alone in that feeling. We have all been in the place where we have lost that ‘drive’ so, don’t beat yourself up. Get back on that horse.

"Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible"- Tony Robbins

Visualizing what you want to accomplish and setting out to achieve it is a special commitment to and with yourself. A master at productivity, Tony Robbins was on to something when he said setting goals is the first step in actualization. To help break this down, think back to your favorite picture. The lighting, the smiles, people and or elements that came together to bring joy to life. Each aspect is a part of a whole that now tells a story. Your goal is that story, best told by taking one piece at a time. Which is why setting actionable steps is key to goal setting. This visualization of actionable steps, could be as simple as essentially checking off a grocery list.

1. Buy running shoes.
2. Sign into running app
3. Run 3 blocks
4. Run 4 blocks
5. Run 1 mile

This is a simple recipe for taking that first ‘step’ to your goal achievement plan. One of the hardest goals I have ever tried to complete, is still a work in progress today: writing a book. It sounds impossible right? That is the exact same way I approached it. As impossible. Soon the task itself overwhelmed me and I avoided it at all costs. Which wasn’t fair to neither myself, nor my goal of writing a book. So, what I did was finally face the impossible head on. I broke down the goal into smaller chunks so that I could more readily see results.

Results are part of what drive your goal. You want to always show and be in control of your progress. However, it’s important to not hinge your overall success on the end result and instead put weight into those important milestones along the way.

It's all about the break.

When you are trying to tackle a long-term or short-term goal, patience is important. We can often feel empowered to do something we know how to do, but the frustration comes when it just doesn’t get done. Which is why a resting period is important. The breaks are just as important as the makes. I know its corny, but it's true. Stepping away from something when you are getting a sense of resentment is key to growth and progress of that goal. You simply can not learn when you are frustrated and exacerbated. Always factor into your goal, some breaks. Taking a beat to breathe and do something completely unrelated to your goal, will oftentimes help to further your drive for it, and renew your energy in seeing it through to completion. My break from the book has (and I say that present tense) helped to inspire me to take the content in a new and fresher direction.

Continuing after (perceived) failure.

During my time writing the book, I realized I didn’t have access to all the tools I needed to complete a successful draft of the book. I also realized I was way behind my timeline, and the subjects I wanted to interview for the book had scheduling issues. The whole thing came to a grinding halt. Self-doubt slowly started to seep in like a winter’s draft. I grew tired of trying after failing myself. It is a difficult headspace to occupy, but in all actuality one that was completely necessary to the growth of the project. Only by falling off my square with regards to timing and commitment, could I really look myself in the mirror and determine what the real problem was.

I needed to break away from the fear of disappointing myself if it wasn’t perfect. After all, this is my first time in this space, writing a book isn’t easy, nor is it something that happens overnight. Spoiler alert: Your first time at a new goal may not be perfect either, and that is more than okay. The success in that goal is ensuring you are actively working towards it on a consistent basis. Keeping at a task, until you have a result in which you can be truly proud of. Which is why, breaking down the steps to that result is so key in goal setting.

Main takeaway:

A new goal is a break in the monotony of life. But, you want to also make sure it's not a one-time achievement. Which is why breaking your goal up into smaller milestones is helpful to not only track your progress, but also in making certain goals into habit(s).

Let technology help you:

Try using Objectuve’s milestone and progress update features to accomplish your 2019 goals!