Mustering up big goal discipline.
All of us have it in us to muster up big goal discipline. The key to success is your mindset. You must really desire the outcome and really believe you can do it. Only then will you have the self-discipline to do what it takes to cross the finish line.
Big goals take time and patience to achieve, which is contrary to our modern culture of immediate gratification. These days, our attention span seems to get shorter by the minute, so how can we focus on achieving something that will take months or even years?
Here are the keys to my big goal successes:
Find trusted coaches or advisors. Taking on a big ambition with someone by your side makes all the difference in the world and is 100% worth the investment. If you are starting a fitness or weight-loss journey, find a fitness and nutrition coach. If you are striving to become a C-suite executive, find an executive coach or mentor. If you are looking to buy a house or complete a home renovation, find a financial advisor. These people will not only guide you on your journey, but they will also hold you accountable to yourself.
Be clear on your goal. Visualize your desired outcome as if you’ve already achieved it. For a fitness or weight-loss goal, how do you feel? How do you look? What can you do that you couldn’t before? Your goal doesn’t have to be a number on a scale or a clothing size. It may be doing a physically demanding excursion on your next vacation or cleaning up your age bracket in pickleball. When you visualize, you emotionally connect with your goal, which helps you sustain the willpower to stay on track.
Write out a plan and review your progress. Knowing your behavioral tendencies, write out a realistic action plan to achieve your goal. If you are not one to count calories or use complex apps, don’t incorporate those in your plan, instead measure out your food or use tricks like palm size servings to make executing your plan more practical. Log your progress on a daily basis via a food log, an exercise log, a reading log, an expense log, etc. This will keep your goal on the top of your mind even when things get hectic. Then, review your progress on a weekly basis. Reviewing your progress will not only be motivational, but it will also help you notice and applaud your willpower, fueling your belief in yourself and creating a cycle of positivity to keep you moving forward.
Incorporate small steps in your plan to create better habits over time. If you are trying to eat healthier, start by carving out time to plan and prep your meals ahead of time. If you want to level up your executive skillset, start by reading 30 minutes each night before bed. If you’re trying to save money, pack your lunch every day. As your habits shift, you can gradually strive for more.
Keep temptations at bay. If you’re on a weight-loss journey, make the foods you can have the most visible and accessible in your pantry and fridge. If you are completing an executive development program, eliminate distractions by finding a study location outside of your home. If you are saving money for that new home/reno, make a list of free/inexpensive activities to fill your free time and delete the unnecessary shopping apps from your phone.
Give yourself grace. We might be great at keeping our commitments to ourselves while at home in our regular routine but fall short while away on vacation. Don’t get hung up on the coulda, woulda, shoulda… instead, forgive yourself and get right back on track. Big goals take time. Odds are you’ll stumble more than once on the journey, but if you keep believing you can do it, you will!
Once you accomplish your first big goal and realize how much willpower you truly have over your habits and choices, you will no longer let emotions or impulses rule the roost. Instead, you will call up the strength to practice self-control, protect your progress and build momentum toward achieving your goal. When you learn to get out of your own way, the sky’s the limit.