3 Tools for Achieving Your Goals
By: Cassandra Wheeler
Tags: Goal Setting, Self Improvement, Habits, Self Care, Mindset

Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash

I have always been one to struggle with keeping practices, routines, and habits afloat. I often fall off the wagon, jump back on, and fall right back off again. I hear myself say things like “I’m not a morning person” or “I’ll start it tomorrow”. And then I slump back into the comfortable couch, hiding from the world under all that blanketed fleece.

Sound familiar?

It isn’t always easy to break away from those bad habits and pick yourself up from that cozy plush. But it sure beats the lethargy from sitting on a couch day after day with nothing to show for your life. Now, I know you have some goals and probably some really big dreams. So, why not take a chance and give it a shot? The worst that will happen is you end up right back here, where you’re currently at. There’s really nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

I’ve put together a simple list to help you implement motivation into your day and create a routine that works for your lifestyle. There are plenty of tips and tricks for building your daily routines and forming habits that will help you grow instead of staying stagnant. These are just a few that I find extremely beneficial to be aware of and incredibly useful when I find myself in a state of doubt or fear.

1. Mindset.

There’s a reason why you keep hearing this term and it’s because it’s absolutely crucial to any endeavor you hope to achieve in life. Your mindset is how you think about yourself, about your goals, about your life. A negative mindset can be extremely powerful, but then so can a positive one. We’ve all been there. A bad day at work turns into an argument at home and suddenly you’re crying in the bathtub with a glass of wine, ready to drown your sorrows and quite possibly yourself. With those thoughts sloshing around in your noggin, you are going to spiral into chaos and have several ‘freak out’ moments.

To keep those thoughts at bay, it’s important to understand your thoughts and where they come from. Why are you thinking this way about yourself? You may have to do some digging which may bring up old wounds and shadow work that is necessary to move forward with your mindset practices.

‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’.

2. Self-care.

Yep. Another buzzword. But again, there’s truth to all the clichés, right? If you aren’t putting yourself first in your day to day lifestyle, then you definitely won’t have any time for your goals. The idea of self-care gets muddied with the beauty industry and it can be conflated with face masks and spa days. But the idea of self-care actualized is focusing on your well-being. Are you getting enough sleep? Are your eating habits aligned with what your body truly needs? Do you spend time alone with yourself, doing an activity that brings you joy? This is what self-care means to me. Putting myself first and recognizing that I am valuable without producing. I have worth just by existing. Just by simply being.

Once you understand what self-care practices work for you, you can begin to form those good habits, one at a time. Start committing to yourself, just like you would a friend or a colleague. You don’t bail on your job commitments just because “you don’t feel like it”. You know people are counting on you, so you show up. You show up for others so why not show up for you? Commit to yourself, whatever that may look like. Maybe you need to commit to working out every day. Or maybe you commit to spending an hour each day working on your paintings. Or maybe you commit to a dance class you really enjoy every week. Whatever it may be, commit to it. Do the damn thing. You’ll thank yourself tenfold.

3. Action.

I know, seems pretty obvious, right? But I find myself forgetting every now and then so I’m sure some of you do too. Action sometimes is the best way to just get started. The more you act, the more motivation flows through you. When you act, you accomplish. When you accomplish, you feel pride; fulfillment. You are motivated to keep going. The same is true for inaction.

‘Inaction breeds inaction’.

The more time you spend doing something, the more you develop it into a habit. Even if that thing is just sitting on the couch. It will become a habit sooner or later. So, becoming conscious of our daily habits is really influential in how we spend our time and therefore how much we can accomplish. It also influences how good we can become at something. Not only do we develop habits, but we grow stronger with those habits and with those activities. We become great. This is where your goals lie and everyday is a chance to get one step closer to achieving them. Act now!

Mel Robbins says it best with her 5 second rule,

“If you have an impulse to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill the idea.”

I encourage you to try out these techniques and see what works for you. Work on your mindset, practice self-care regularly, and take action whenever you can. By remaining consistent and being conscious of your habits, you can start to gain momentum to take you into alignment with achieving your goals and reaching your dreams. Good luck!