Success is defined as 'the accomplishment of an aim or purpose’. Here are a few easy tips to increase your odds of succeeding at your stated goals.
Do not keep it in your head.
Writing down a goal or telling a friend is much, much more effective than only keeping it in your head. Bringing it into the world, even with something as simple as a Post-It note on your desk, makes the goal more tangible, less scary, and something upon which to act rather than to ruminate.
Write down a few things that will happen once your goal is reached.
‘Having more free time’ is great, but what would you do with that free time? Placing the focus on what you will be able to do/have/be once your goal is reached will help you stick with the process. Start with something like ‘when [my goal] happens, I will be able to [do/have/be this thing I enjoy]'.
Use language like ‘I will’ rather than ‘I would like to’.
'I would like to visit Uruguay someday' is a nice daydream, but carries much less weight than 'I will visit Uruguay in 6 months'. Changing the language used when speaking about your goals will keep you on the path to success, rather than watching the path from a distance.
Avoid objectives where ‘a little bit more’ is always a possibility.
‘Be happier’ or ‘exercise more’ are poor goals because there is no clear qualifier for succeeding. You could always be a little healthier, wealthier, more at ease, more productive, etc. Pick some quantifiable standard (even if it’s not the perfect or final one) for what it looks like to reach the desired state. Instead of ‘exercise more’, try something like ‘go to the gym 3 days a week’.
Do more of the things that you do well / do less of the things that you do poorly.
Many people focus extra energy on correcting what is going poorly, rather than what is going well. Instead of spending extra time trying to correct the 10-20% of the tasks that you can’t quite get right, what if you used that time to improve the other 80-90% that you are doing pretty well? Instead of beating yourself up when you can’t do everything, try recognizing the many things that you can accomplish.
Timothy Iseler, CFP®
Founder & Lead Advisor
Iseler Financial, LLC | Durham NC | (919) 666-7604
Iseler Financial helps creative professionals remove stress while taking control of their financial futures. As both advisor and accountability partner, we help identify current strengths and weaknesses, clarify and refine your long-term goals, and prioritize understandable, manageable, and repeatable actions to bring long-term financial well-being. Reach out today to take the first step.
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