How to Achieve Your Goals

Here are 4 tips on how to set your goals and how to achieve a goal successfully.

1. Tackle Your Scary Thoughts

Be realistic about what is going on in your mind. When you sit down to create your goal, also write down your scary thoughts. Take a look at them, and pick one, tiny, realistic thought that will help you reframe what that negative voice is telling you.
If the voice is telling you “I’m not good with money,” think about that sentence: Is it really true? What does a blanket statement like that mean? Maybe you haven’t always reached your goals in the past, but you’ve made some steps in your journey.
So instead, reframe that negative thought. You could try thinking: “Sometimes I have managed my money,” or, “It’s possible that I can learn to manage my money.”

2. Schedule the Time to Do All the Tasks

Once you have your full list, consult your calendar. Find some time, and schedule each task. On Tuesday at 2 pm, you will look at your spending. On Thursday at 7 pm, you will look at your sources of income. Work your way through the list, one step at a time.

Scheduling each step toward your goal is critical to achieving them successfully. And after all that analysis, the actual method of reaching your goal could come down to a small change in your habits.

3. Reward Yourself for Your Efforts

You realized that the key to reaching your goal of saving $1,000 over three months is one, small habit change—a change in the place you get your coffee. But research shows that you are more likely to reach your goal if you reward yourself for that habit change along the way.

You’ll have more success reaching your larger goals if you find the right reward for the smaller steps. You just need to learn how to build or break a habit effectively.

4. Don’t Beat Yourself Up If You “Fall Off the Wagon” a Few Times

Habit changes are hard. It’s difficult to reach new goals. You’re asking yourself to stretch, to grow, to try new things.

But if you are kind to yourself and realize that no one is perfect, you are more likely to keep moving forward and ultimately get where you want to go. Then, celebrate when you do!