Everyone has personal goals in life they want to achieve. Even if those goals aren’t written down, they are often on your radar as things you want to accomplish in the future. Sometimes they are simply areas in your life you want to improve.
Quite naturally goals are constantly shifting. As you achieve one goal, you shift your focus to another. Getting there can be half the fun. But what if you have trouble achieving the goal you set for yourself?
Recently, I achieved what felt like an impossible goal, and I’ll share it here to encourage you as you seek to achieve your personal goals in life.
To give you some context, not only am I a goal-oriented person but I also work with individuals, teams and organisations to help them set and achieve their goals. Yet, it felt like this particular personal goal had me beat.
Without fail, every year when I completed my Wheel of Life assessment, there was one area that consistently scored the lowest. To be honest, I was beginning to feel defeated in this area of my life. While I was experiencing success in several areas, I began to sense a shadow over me.
Core Life Areas
When I work with women who are seeking to attain better work-life integration, one of the first things I have them do is assess how they’re doing in the eight core life areas.
- Spiritual
- Family
- Emotional
- Personal Growth
- Physical
- Career
- Social
- Financial
Can you guess which area was the lowest for me?
Year after year, my physical health would score the lowest.
I could try to blame it on my love for chocolate, but the reality is, for many years I simply did not prioritize that area of my life.
My body had been telling me it was time to cut back on not just chocolate, but on junk foods, and late-night eating. My body had been suggesting that I eat more vegetables and drink more water.
In fact, my body had been screaming for YEARS to get a little attention.
But busy-bee-me wasn’t listening.
My physical health fell low on the list of alllll the many things I had to do. Until, finally this year, my body planned a revolt.
It was time to take my health seriously.
Maybe it’s another area of your life that’s screaming for attention.
Maybe you’ve been planning to get your finances in check.
Or you’ve been meaning to finally make time to put the SOCIAL back in social life.
Perhaps, you’ve been thinking of going back to church or giving prayer another try.
I don’t know what it is for you, but here’s my encouragement to you…
DON’T GIVE UP on that one area of your personal life you want to improve.
If it’s important to you the sacrifice will be worth it.
Give that ONE area ONE more try, and watch things turn around.
I admit, I was tempted to throw in the towel even before I got started, but I knew there was too much at stake. I needed to take control of my health and pay attention to the red flags my body had been frantically waving at me.
Below are five steps that you can apply to that area of your life you’re seeking to improve. These are the very same steps that I took which resulted in great success.
Everyone has personal goals in life they want to achieve, but what do you do when you get stuck? These tips will help you move forward! Share on X5 steps to achieve your personal goals in life
1) Choose ONE thing to improve
You might have several personal goals in life but avoid trying to change too many things at once. Keep it simple and choose just one thing. Start with my Thrive Assessment to determine which area needs the most attention.
2) Make a plan and adjust it as necessary
A plan is a great place to start but don’t allow your plan to bog you down. When I first set my goal I was overly ambitious. I soon learned that I needed to create mini-goals that I could achieve and gain momentum, and that’s exactly what I did.
3) Get support — both one-on-one (coach) plus a supportive community
Going it alone has its place but when it comes to achieving your personal goals in life you need a supportive team. Without a coach in my corner and fellow cheerleaders on the journey, I would not have achieved the success I did at the same pace.
4) Get back up when you fall down
Recognize that failure is part of the journey and accept grace to keep going. Take some time to assess what you learn from the mistakes you’ll inevitably make and keep moving forward. Instead of seeing mistakes as roadblocks, allow them to propel you toward your goals.
5) Celebrate the little wins along the way
The journey is part of the fun so don’t wait until you get to the very end of your goal to celebrate. Continually measure your progress by looking back and seeing how far you’ve come. Then create some celebration markers along the way. Not sure how to celebrate? I’d be happy to share some ideas.
Progress Begets Progress
I know it sounds oversimplified, but I promise you this works. When you begin to see progress, it will encourage you to keep going. We often underestimate the impact just ONE thing can have on every area of our lives, but the success you experience in this one area will have a knock-on effect on the others. Pretty soon you’ll find yourself achieving more of your personal goals in life.
Your Next Best Step
So, tell me…
What is the ONE area in your life you want to improve? What has been screaming for your attention?
Now is the time to go after it with all you’ve got.
This could be the difference between feeling defeated and realizing that you actually CAN achieve your goals — one goal at a time.
Don’t give into thinking that your circumstances need to improve before you can enjoy your life. You can thrive right now, and I’d be honored to support you on your journey.
Book a complimentary coaching discovery call here and prepare to achieve your personal goals today.
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