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Whatever your goal, there are probably some environments that are better for achieving it than others. Do whatever you can to make sure that the people and physical spaces you spend time with don't create obstacles. For example, if you are entering a medical program, you're going to need to study long hours and concentrate on your work. If you live with friends who party all the time and will encourage you to do the same, you might want to consider moving. Surrounding yourself with other goal-oriented people can also help keep you accountable and motivated. Pick a date to begin work on the first subgoal on your list. Then, dive in! If you aren't sure how to accomplish your first subgoal, it is too complicated to be your first subgoal. If you can't identify the first step toward that goal, you may need to to more research and/or break it down into smaller subgoals. Set a start date at least a few days in the future. If it's a goal you're excited about, the anticipation will help get you motivated and enthusiastic for the first step. You can also use the downtime before the start date to adjust your plan, get advice, or acquire any tools you need to achieve your goal. Once you get started, the key to achieving life goals is work on them steadily and consistently. This is a step-by-step process that is going to take a long time. It is crucial, therefore, to keep making progress. Many people set goals and then jump in with great enthusiasm, devoting a lot of time and energy to the goal in the early stages. Enthusiasm is great, but try not to burn yourself out in the first few weeks or months. You also don't want to set standards that you won't be able to live up to in the long run. Remember that you are in this for the long haul. This isn't a race, it's a journey. A good way to ensure consistent progress is to build time into your daily routine for working on your goals. For example, if you are studying to become a chemist, set aside a specific portion of each day for homework from your classes, for example, 3pm to 7pm. Set aside a specific part of the day for developing your own research, say 7:30pm to 9pm. Try to always use these hours for these purposes, unless you absolutely must deviate from that schedule. But at 9pm, call it quits for the night and do something to relax. Keep in mind that to achieve any goal, there is no away around investing a lot of time and effort. Putting in the hours and the sweat is how you will achieve your goal. Because consistency is so important, it is crucial that you stay motivated. Having achievable subgoals is crucial to your motivation. It will be much easier to stay enthusiastic and committed if you feel that you are making progress. Use reinforcement to create incentives. Positive reinforcement is adding something good to your life. Negative reinforcement is taking away something unwanted. Both can help you stay motivated. If you are trying to keep yourself focused on filling out a permit application for your restaurant, and notice you are getting distracted, offer yourself a reward. Maybe after you've finished the application, you can treat yourself to a professional massage. Or, maybe you'll be more motivated by allowing yourself to skip out on a weekly chore for once. Either way, reinforcement can keep you on task. Punishing yourself for failing to achieve subgoals is not as effective as reinforcement good behavior. If you opt to create unpleasant consequences for yourself, make sure to use rewards, too. One of the best ways to stay motivated is keep track of your progress and check it regularly. Depending on your goal and personal preferences, you can use an app, a journal, or a calendar. Any of these will help remind you of subgoals you've already achieved. They can also keep you accountable to yourself for staying on schedule. Writing in a journal regularly can also help ease stress and anxiety that might come with the process of striving for a long term goal.
Create the right environment. Get to work. Work on your goals consistently. Stay motivated. Track your progress.