So many people set goals and do nothing to crush them. I get it, it can be hard to stay motivated and do the worked needed to reach your goals. Everyone has different goals but when it comes to crushing them, it comes down to the same things.
As an example, let’s look at my current goals. I say ‘current’ because you goals can constantly change, and mine do too. Some common goals people have;
- Lose Weight
- Make More Money
- Have A Relationship
- Travel The World
So why is it so hard to reach your goals when you’re first so passionate about them. There can be many reasons why it’s so hard to reach your goals but a lot of it comes down to you. I know this is true for a lot of people and it’s the same for me.
My current goals;
- Reach 100,000 YouTube subscribers
- Generate at least 1000 people a month to this website.
At the end of the day, I know that both of these things can be achieved. You might be like me, you become so motivated to reach your goals and you start to put in the work, but then, something happens. For me, it’s usually family things or other commitments that mean my personal goals get pushed to the side for a while.
What Is Your Goal(s)?
So, now you know my current goals, what’s yours? I think you have to have a clear understanding of what your goals are to stand any chance of achieving them. This can be done by simply writing them downand sticking to a schedule for when you take action towards them.
Most people are in my position. You might have a family (a young one) and life is super busy. I totally get that. I love to spend time with my family but I also get ‘the passion itch’ which is usually when I get agitated when I think of a great article or a great video I want to make but can’t. I also know that if I’m not able to work towards it, I get grumpy…
Set your goals out clearly so you can visualise them. Once you’ve done that you can start to see when you might have time to do them.
Don’t Beat Yourself Up
If you’re like me, you think of producing content at the worst times, usually when you’re busy and can’t create it. I don’t know if this is part of having an anxious personality but I find myself getting frustrated a lot when I can’t take that action. I love to make things and carry out projects. Maybe it’s the artist in me but I always have to be making or working on something to stay feeling productive.
I have learnt however, you shouldn’t beat yourself up when you can’t get the time to work on your goals. I know myself that it doesn’t help things at all and instead, I plan the free time I do have (which isn’t very much) and take action then.
The idea of needing to be ‘laser-focused’ on what you want to achieve is nice, and of course we all want to be, however, the reality isn’t always as easy as that. I do know that you have to be focused but when you read articles about making it your number one priority, you can start to feel bad about yourself.
Don’t get me wrong, your goals should be near the top of your priority list but of course, my family comes before anything else. This is why I think it’s about being focused, but realistic.
Let’s look at an example;
You’re trying to lose weight, you get pumped up and start working out and dieting. One weekend, you’re invited to have a big family meal. You don’t think that one bad meal will hurt, you also don’t think that having one drink will hurt.
Before you know it, you have dessert and 5 more drinks.
You end up thinking to yourself ‘I’ll start the diet again on Monday’. Seriously, how many times have you heard this?? I put off my goals for most of my life and it got me nowhere (goalwise) it’s only now that I’m feeling more pumped because I’m making time to do what I want to do.
How To Stay Focused On Your Goals: Just Do It
The issue with the example above is, when you do this you start to fall back into bad habits. Really, you have two choices. You can either stay wrapped up in these patterns or you can start planning ahead more.
By this I mean when starting a diet you really have to be contious of the fact these situations are going to arise. If you do fall in and have a bad few days of bingeing, it’s about snapping out of it quickly and being aware of where you’ve gone wrong. This comes back down to ‘the bigger picture’.
It’s super easy to say – ‘I’ll start tomorrow’. What I’ve learned quickly is that if you’re not actively taking action your situation won’t ever change by itself. You just have to do it. Not tomorrow, not on Monday, find out when you have that pocket of time, and do it.
If you’re losing weight for example, try and think of the tomorrow’s. Try and visualise your goal. It’s not going to magically happen and if you don’t start right now, you’ll be in the same spot in ten, fifteen, twenty years.
You might now say ‘It’s easier said than done!’ but if you’re thinking that then I wonder if you really want to achieve your goals or not.
For me, I know that I don’t want to be in the same position I’m in now in ten years. I want to look back and see everything I’ve created, every person I may of helped and so I decided one day that enough was enough.
Stay Focused On Your Goals: Make It Essential
When I look back on what I’ve overcome over the last ten years already, I feel pretty good. I’m not arrogant or have a big head but I’ve come a long way from being totally anxious and self-doubting and it all started with saying ‘enough.’
I made it essential, I made it life or death to get over my anxieties and started believing in yourself because the thought of being that way for the rest of my life scared the hell out of me.
For me, It wasn’t a case of ‘that might be nice to not feel anxious every second of the day’, it was a case of ‘there’s no way I’m going to stay this way and I’m going to do everything in my power to change it.’
So, if you’re trying to lose weight, make more money or whatever else, you have to make it painful if you don’t reach your goal. The thought of not working towards or achieving your goal has to make you feel bad. If it doesn’t, then maybe you don’t want it enough.
It has to become essential to reach your goals or you won’t have the motivation to keep aiming for them. It’s that fear of not succeeding that motivates you to keep pushing and pushing. I know that for me, I could easily fall into bed when I get in after a busy day. Sometimes the feeling of not making progress lights a fire under me and I get up and turn my laptop on. It’s that burning fire that keeps me on track and chasing what I want.
If you feel this way too then I think you’re onto something good. Stay focused on your goal shouldn’t feel like a chore. I really think that you should and you need to enjoy the process. If you don’t enjoy the process then you won’t have the motivation to keep going and you may even give up.
Don’t Accept Failing
Even if you fail at reaching your goals, it doesn’t mean you should give up. So many successful people fail the first few times before they hit it big. I always like the example of Gordon Ramsey. He has 3 failed restaurants before he starting making a living as a world class chef.
If this tells us anything, it’s that you can achieve anything you are relentless with. If you’ve got the determination because you love what you do, you can reach your goal one way or another. I believe it starts with the mindset of ‘maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it’s only a matter of time.’
If you are personally hell-bent on reaching a goal, there’s noone that can stand in your way apart from you yourself.
It comes back to the idea that you can sit on your coach, or lay on your bed and dream about what you want to reach but if you don’t get up and do it, you’ll never have it. I think that we’re all more capable of achieving things than we know.
When I wanted to give up and stay in all day, I felt like shit. It was only the day I woke up and decided ‘I’m not going to be this way forever’. I didn’t know how long it would take me to learn to get over my anxieties but what I did know was one day I would.
The only way I knew this for sure was because I knew in myself that I wouldn’t give up until I found a way. And…that’s exactly what happened, I came out of myself and I’m a 1000 miles away from that person now because I wasn’t going to accept anything but the relief I was so badly chasing.
Make Focusing On Your Goal Fun
Focusing on your goal(s) should be fun. I get a great sense of fun writing on projectenergise.com and working on my YouTube channel because I know I’m working on something that is mine. I enjoy the process and don’t focus so much on the end result.
The reason for this is because the end result isn’t really an end result. This is because when I reach the goal or ‘end result’ I know I’ll be setting another and then another and another goal. It’s a constant work in progress and that’s what makes it interesting.
It’s the same again when you’re working out. You don’t just reach a weight you’re happy with, you might enjoy the process (and should) of losing weight and working out and that will keep you motivated to lose even more weight or build more muscle. This is why it’s a constant work in progress.
Even if you’re happy with your new weight, there’s a great deal of maintenance that needs to be done if you want to stay that weight. It’s the same for everything. People don’t start businesses for example and then walk away when they make enough money from them. They usually try to make more or they start another business.
It’s the process that should feel addictive.
Staying Focused On Your Goal – Conclusion
To stay focused on your goals you have to be in love with them. They have to feel addictive, you almost have to dream about what you want otherwise you won’t be motivated enough to keep trying to reach them.
I really hope you find the process of reaching your goals enjoyable, and if you do, I’m sure you’ll succeed in the end.
I hope you found this useful, if you did, please leave a comment about how you’re staying focused on your goal(s).
Here’s to your success – Sean