The 3 months countdown to Christmas has kicked off. How far do you still have to go to reach the goals you set at the start of 2019?
How did the Summer just end? Time flies and I don’t know about you, but with the start of Autumn/Fall I feel as though the rest of the year will simply roll down the hill, faster and faster to the bottom. Too fast to get anything more done.
Not true. The good news is that three months is still plenty of time to make positive changes and achieve a lot. You can change your whole life in a day, so imagine what you can still do with 90+ days.
Here are my 3 steps to help you reach your goals 2019 so you can spend your next Christmas not only opening boxes but ticking many off too!
Reach Your Goal STEP 1: Review Your Goals 2019
What goals did you set for the year, and are you still committed to them?
If you feel you haven’t progressed much with certain projects you had in mind since January, perhaps self-doubt or procrastination aren’t the only elements to blame for the lack of results. You may have outgrown them.
Refresh your goals, write them all up again clearly and assess how keen you still feel about reaching each one. Ask yourself: “Is this a goal I really wanted for myself, or was it something I felt I had to do or have?”.
If the commitment is still genuine and there, use the simple SMART tool to review and define your goals in more detail. Make sure each goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Based.
Reach Your Goals STEP 2: Power up the Motivation
You can boost your motivation by experiencing what it would be and feel like on accomplishment. If getting there equals a super duper happy rate of 10 out of 10, create a list of what that would actually mean. Use the present tense (I am, I feel, I have..) to describe your 10/10 and add visuals and emotions to help you fell in that moment as if it were happening now.
Then for a brief moment, imagine what it would mean to NOT achieve your goal at all. What would a zero out of 10 look and feel like?
This exercise creates power synergy to move you forward and reach your goals. The vivid visualisation of your goal completion will motivate you towards it, whilst the frustration of not experiencing your goal will push you forward, away from that sense of failure.
Reach Your Goals STEP 3: Moving Forward with Action
The next step is to dissect your goals into bite size actions. Start by identifying the broader areas you would need to work on, followed by a list of actions required within each area.
When compiling an action list, we tend to end up with more actions piled up closer to the goal-post, and we don’t know where to start. Try working your way back and organise your plan of actions beginning from deadline date (Christmas) to today’s date.
Break your plan down into 3 months, and ask yourself what would need to happen in the last month leading to Christmas (25/11 to 25/12)? And then the month before that? And the one before that?.
Finally, dismember each month into weekly targets, still working backwards, and you will come up with what needs doing this week. Commit to an action per day and review your plan regularly.
In your list of things to do, include also “NOT do dos” to eliminate unnecessary steps and distractions, and to recognise what you can or need to delegate.
Celebrate your Milestones
I mentioned 3 steps to reach your goals 2019, and I am confident that these alone can help but here’s a bonus tip: Don’t just focus on the Destination, Enjoy the Journey!
In your plan, pick your milestones and celebrate each success achieved along the way. Reward yourself for the progress you make. You could share your achievement with others, invite friends to get together on those dates. This will add accountability and make it fun.
Create your own Advent Calendar, rewarding yourself on key dates or every day as you progress closer to Christmas, your goal-post.
If you want someone to hold your hand through this process, from now till your achievement, why not treat yourself to a coach or mentor. It’s amazing what the extra support can do. As a Freedom Coach myself, I love supporting people on their journeys to their desired goals and a more fun experience of life.
Feel free to connect below or browse my programmes: Freedom Coaching Programmes.
For regular #dailyinspo follow me on Instagram: @thegr8fool