Reach Your Goals

Countless books on goals and success appear to have a few common threads.

    Many suggest  four basic principles stated in many different ways:

1) Decide precisely what you are want to achieve and accept no substitute. Visualize yourself reaching your target.

 2) Choose to take action define the steps needed to reach your goal. Then take massive action. Keep your eyes on your goal and act vigorously and relentlessly to make your goal a reality;

3) Take time to recognize progress and lack of progress so you can repeat, add to, or alter your action steps accordingly;

4) Realize that you may ( in fact most will ) make mistakes along the way. Don't despair - instead abandon preconceived notions of what should or will ultimately work. Be willing to change your plans and actions as needed.

Here’s one healthy habit for reaching your goals you can start tonight -

Set aside 30 minutes each night to review your plan for the following day.

     Once your day begins, take a few minutes if you can to review your plan for the day and decide which actions will deliver the most results.  Many find it difficult to take time for planning their day on the run. It is much easier to develop an action plan - realizing that plans can be altered in mid-stream. Be flexible. Keep your momentum. Some famous motivational speaker used to say "Plan your work and work your plan".

    You have the ability to store a thousand ideas and details associated with your day. However, you can work on only one thing at a time. Planning your day the night before acts as a sorting-out process and calms the nervous system, which has been in hyper mode all day. Think of it like cleaning up your pots and pans after you make that delicious meal. If you don't do it now - they will be all that much harder to clean when you need them tomorrow! 

    The  benefit is the feeling of being more in control and less overwhelmed by the nearly inevitable onslaught of daily interruptions. Having some handle on what you want to accomplish tomorrow might even help you sleep a little better!

Set a Goal

Do you want more energy? Would you like to look a little healthier? Lose a few pounds? Tone up your body?
Whatever you desire - in terms of better health - can happen if you make a plan and start taking action! Any action.

Look at where you are right now and decide what you want to change. 

Start with a plan to create better habits. Write your goal - and your plan on paper. Some people have found keeping a journal helpful. Whatever form you decide on - write down your goals and the plan to achieve them. Decide and write down the specific steps you need to take. 

Then start taking action - immediately!

Aim high - shoot for the moon. If you miss, at least you'll be better off than you were before you started. Who cares about being perfect? Write down the change you want to make, profess it to a willing partner in crime, and see what happens.

Make small, manageable changes in your daily diet and exercise habits. Realistic changes that you can do now. Don’t commit to an unrealistic exercise plan; just do what you truly know you can do, like walking 20 minutes every day at lunch, or even three days a week. Include more vegetables and fruits in your daily diet. Cut back on refined sugars, soda and junk food. Small changes practiced daily will lead to big results!

If you slip and miss a day or cheat a little, don't give up. Simply decide to do better tomorrow or the next day. At the end of a week, or a month, measure your progress. 

Rethink your plan. 

What's working?

And what isn't?

Change your action plan accordingly. Then set out on taking even more action! You will gradually see improvement if you stick to your plan!

We can achieve great success in our quest for just about anything if we just keep chipping away at our goals.