Tag: Goals

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Does It Still Fit?

Just about every adult, at some point, has reached into their closet and pulled out something that just didn’t quite fit right anymore. It may be too tight, or too loose, or too worn, or just out of style. Whatever the reason, we know it’s best to just let it go.

In Fumio Sasaki’s book, Goodbye Things, he tells an interesting story of learning to let go of his stuff in order to live a more focused life. The book provides a list of ways to learn to let things go. One of these ways, is to say goodbye to who you used to be. The premise is that some of the items you keep may be related to a former activity, or image, which you no longer pursue. If they’re no longer helpful, then why keep them.

Isn’t this principle also true for those habits or traits which may have served us well in a prior lifestyle, but now conflict with who we’d like to become? I know that when I was a single parent of 5 active kids, being flexible about quickly shifting from one expectation to another probably helped my sanity. However, having a constantly shifting schedule derailed my habit of trying to plan weekly activities. A habit that took some practice to reestablish.

We all make goals for how we’d like to improve. But sometimes, we don’t recognize the small habits we have that are a roadblock to progress. For instance, the urge to look at your phone after a notification can trigger a derailment of your goal to reduce your time scrolling through videos. This trigger could be reduced by turning off just email notifications for some period of the day. The trick is to recognize those habits which derail your goals, and then take steps to limit them. This simple exercise will help you move away from who you used to be, and towards who you want to become.

Find more ways to create goals and habits at www.StepsForToday.com.

Thanks for reading.
Please like and share with those who are struggling with these issues.
And remember to take the next step.
Mitch

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Not This Year

It’s an old, familiar feeling that happens around this time every year. You’re headed for bed, reviewing your accomplishments for the day. And then it hits you. You’ve let your New Year’s resolution slip by once again!

You are not alone. By the end of January about two-thirds of New Year’s resolutions are typically abandoned.  But what if You could flip that to a 65% SUCCESS rate? Or even move it closer to a 95% success rate?

In a study performed by the Association for Talent Development, the most powerful factor in reaching goals turned out to be ‘accountability’. That doesn’t mean that a goal shouldn’t be written, have a planned completion date, and a list of its necessary steps. But those will only get you as far as 50%. But, by telling someone else about your goal, you raise your probable success to 65%. But there’s still one more step the study recommends for the highest probably success; get an accountability partner.

An accountability partner can check with you daily to keep you focused, on track, and establishing new habits. You can have planned weekly reviews to discuss successes, failures, and strategies to overcome obstacles. Furthermore, an accountability partner can often be there when you need some extra words of confidence and keep you progressing towards your goal. This powerful tool has been shown to provide a 95% success rate (and help establish some pretty strong friendships along the way)!

If you’ve got a goal that has seemed unreachable in the past, give it another try with the help of an accountability partner. You just may find it to be that extra boost you’ve needed all along.

Thanks for reading. Please like and share!
And remember to take the next step…
Mitch