5 ways to stay on track and achieve your goals
I’ve always been the first person to point out that you should never give up. If there’s something you want, and you think that you have what it takes to achieve that thing - you should go at it, as if it were oxygen and you were drowning.
The moment you admit defeat, and allow yourself to think that you have no control over your circumstances, is the moment that you relinquish control, and hand your fate over to the wind.
I’ve known people that have literally spent their entire adult lives in the in the same position. They’ve had the same job, the same house, they socialise with the same people, doing the same things, in the same places. For these people, life consists of waking up (feeling groggy), going to work at a job they have no interest in, coming home, and sitting in front of the TV until bedtime. They look forward to a holiday or two each year, get excited about new cars/gadgets and socialise with their friends an family, predominantly over whatsapp…
I’m assuming that, if you’re reading this - that’s not you. I hope not anyway, beacause what I just described makes me shudder!
My hope is that you’re someone that has a desire to push forward and make the most out of your time on planet Earth.
So, baring in mind that we’re all creative “doers” - I want to offer some advice around staying on track with whatever it is that you’re trying to achieve.
Speaking from experience, I know just how easy it is to fall prey to the horrible little niggly thoughts that creep into your mind and make you wonder if you really can reach your goal.
When you’re trying to do something difficult and it gets tough, your brain is likely to try and avoid the pain of pushing on, and will attempt to to come up with reasons to give up. That big old brain of yours can be quite sneaky at times, and will put forward really compelling arguments that make you feel justified in chucking your idea into the fuck it bucket".
“There’s much less pain involved when you don’t put yourself out there and chase your dream”
It makes me sad when I think about all the dreams that have been kicked to the curb because of nothing more than a little negative self-talk.
Imagine what the world would look like if people like Thomas Edison, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs had listened to that negative little voice in their heads and given up on trying to achieve their goals…
You may or may not want to build something that will change the world and warrant an entry in the history books, but I’d bet good money on there being something that you want to achieve that would massively improve your life.
So, what can we do to combat the nasty little thoughts that do their best to knock us off the road to glory, and keep us on the hamster wheel of monotony?
Focus
One of the greatest adversaries to your consistency is a lack of focus.
How many times have you started something important, only to be distracted by your phone, or the TV, or someone else in the room, or any of the other thousand things that bay for our attention now days?
I’ve read many books on the subject of focus, and one of the most useful ideas I’ve come across is to set yourself the target or completing 2 hours of deep work each day.
Every day, set aside a 2 hour block, where you will sit and work on your “thing”, without any interruptions or distractions. You always have the option of continuing once your 2 hours are up, but while you’re in that window of time - you dive head first into your work, and don’t come up for air until the timer sounds.
This is great for 2 reasons:
Pretty much anyone can find 2 hours in their day to fit something in that will genuinely move you forwards. You can have a full time job, a family, and other commitments, and still find a 2 hour window where you can make shit happen!
When you have a specific time frame to complete your work - you will inevitably be far more productive. It forces you to focus on the really important tasks, and gives you accountability in the form of a micro goal.
Surround yourself with the right people
Whether you like it or not, the people you spend the most of your time with will rub off on you, and by extension, will shape the way that you look at life.
This is always a huge bone of contention, because no one wants to stop spending time with their friends…even if you know that they’re damaging your chances of growing.
I personally try to meet as many new people as possible, and make friends as often as possible. When you do this, you’ll quickly see just how negative certain individuals are, and you’ll naturally gravitate towards the people who energise you.
Have a word with yourself
It might seem a little reductive, but sometimes having a strong word with yourself, and reminding yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing can have a huge impact, not just on your motivation, but on your self esteem.
If you can find a way of making yourself accountable to yourself, and keeping your word - you’ll become bulletproof!
It might seem a little weird at first, but have a go at talking to yourself in the mirror. Speak as if you’re in the room with a completely separate entity (your reflection). Someone advised me to do this a while back, and to ask my reflection questions. I was very skepticle at first, but the funniest thing happened…I actually felt an overwhelming pressure to come up with the answers.
I’m not sure about the science surrounding this, but it’s definitely worth trying. It’s a lot harder to let yourself down when your perspective shifts, and you view yourself through the eyes of another person!
Look at the bigger picture
It might feel as though you’re failing on a monumental scale, and you might talk to yourself in a worse tone than you would your arch enemy, but if you take a step back and look at the broader picture - you’ll soon be able to see that things are no where near as bad as they seem.
No one has died (hopefully), you’re no worse off than before you started whatever it is that you’re doing, and you always have the option of starting again.
Pick yourself up and get back to it!
Remember that failure breeds success
If I had a penny for every time someone has told me not to be afraid of failing, I’d have a couple of quid in the bank! If feels patronising, but the truth is - there really is no way to succeed without first failing a bunch of times.
Of course - no one WANTS to fail, but it’s simply a necessary part of the process, and the more you can fail (and fail quickly) - the faster yo'u’ll move along the road to victory!
I actually think that it’s wise to go out of your way to fail!
Try things….lots of things, and don’t fixate on the outcome, or the worry that something might go wrong. Be aware that something could go wrong, and do it anyway. No dream is too crazy!
Obviously this should be done within reason. I’m not suggesting that you put your house up against a drunken decision to become a world class poker star.
So, if you want to stay on track and achieve your goals - do whatever it takes to keep moving forwards. There are no rules about how fast you need to be moving, but consistency is what separates those who succeed from those who fail.
If you have any more suggestions on how to keep going with projects until you succeed, please leave a comment below, as I’m always looking to learn, and would love to have fresh insight.
