This One Piece Of Advice Convinced Me To Go After My Goals
By: Ashlee Waters
Tags: Personal Development, Goal Setting, Goals, Advice, Life

This One Piece Of Advice Convinced Me To Go After My Goals

Photo by Jason Strull on Unsplash

Like many people, I love to create goals. For me, it’s extremely fun to imagine what my life COULD be if I were to change XYZ.

Because I love to do this, I often find myself daydreaming of different careers, passions, hobbies, and health goals I want to work towards.

According to any “life coach” or “goal expert” I do everything right when I get into a daydream:

I create a S.M.A.R.T. goal.

I write out all the steps I’m going to take to achieve that goal.

I picture myself achieving that goal, and become determined to make it happen.

And then I get overwhelmed. Doubt starts to creep into my mind and beat me down. I’m hit with all the usual anxieties:

I don’t have time. It’s too much work. I’m too late in my life to start. I’m impatient. What’s the point?

I know you’ve been there. Why does this happen? Let’s walk through it together:

Why do anxieties take over?

You decide you’re going to lose weight. You make a clear plan, and you commit yourself…for two weeks before you decide SCREW IT! I’M DONE!

Why? Well, at this point, you’re frustrated. You’re still in your new routine and it’s a lot of work. You’re cooking food you’ve never cooked before. You’re meal prepping. You’re tired and sore from working out. And, you’ve seen no results.

Your anxieties start to take over:

This is ridiculous, I’m never going to lose 20 pounds. It’s been two weeks, and I haven’t lost anything. I don’t have time for this. What’s the point of putting in all this work for zero results?

I hear you. I’ve been there more times than I’d like to admit. Let me tell you what always happens to me after I have these thoughts. I’m serious, this is exactly what happens every. single. time.

I quit. I go back to my old routine, and I’m happy…for a little bit.

Three months later, I’ll randomly think of my goal I gave up on, and start to wonder:

Where I would be right now had I not given up?

And then enters the best piece of advice I have ever received regarding goals.

You’re going to hate how simple it is.

The time will pass whether you are working towards your goal or not.

That’s it. That one piece of advice SMASHES all your anxieties. Don’t believe me?

I don’t have time. Make time because the time will pass whether you are working towards your goal or not. 24 hours WILL happen every single day. You get to choose whether you want to sleep an extra hour, or spend that hour working towards your goals. It’s too much work. Yes. Goals take work. They require you to step out of your comfort zone and do something you are not used to. You can either accept that fact, or not. Either way the time will pass whether you are working towards your goal or not. I’m too late in my life to start. You are NEVER too late. The time will pass whether you are working towards your goal or not.

Think about it: You’re 35 and you’re deciding whether to go back to school or not for a Law degree. You think, by the time I graduate, I’ll be 39. That’s way too old to start a new career.

You’re either going to be 39 with a Law degree or you’re going to be 39 without a Law degree. Either way, you’re going to be 39.

4. I’m impatient. Again, you’re either going to be 39 with a Law degree or without a Law degree. The time will pass whether you are working towards your goal or not. You can be impatient but either way, four years is going to pass.

5. What’s the point? The point is to achieve something you want to achieve to live the life you want to live. In four years, you can either be a lawyer, or not. Either way, the time will pass whether you are working towards your goal or not.