Reach Your Goals

Everyone’s Goals Are Different

At one time or another during your life’s journey you will most probably want to set, and look to reach your goals. Those goals are not the same for everyone and I’ve got a really great example to share with you that came to me after I was out exercising this morning.

On the road I live on, I often see a man walking home. This man is not walking with the usual gait and, at a guess, I would say he was recovering from a stroke. He drags a leg as he walks and drags one whole side of his body at times too.

Sometimes he stops.

Sometimes he is heaving his body forward.

Other times he has a little more pace but this pace is still slower than our slowest meander.

This man’s goal may have been reached for this aspect of his life. Maybe he was told he would never walk again and yet he gets up every day and walks to the grocer and back, regardless of how hard it feels. Perhaps his goal right now is to get up out of bed every day and be able to take one step forward with his injured leg.

A feeling of gratitude sweeps over me during my walk home. Some days I get up and could not be bothered exercising and yet this man struggles to walk every day. I make a note to self to remember that I am taking for granted that I have the ability to exercise with ease – no handicap in the process except my mind and fitness level. Sometimes the mental handicap can be greater than the physical one.….Reach your goals

My point about this story is that your goals and my goals can be very different but that does not mean they are any less important or should be judged. What this man above is doing could be a tremendous goal for him but it is very different to someone who has a financial goal. The weight is sometimes in the action. One physical step may be harder than looking to earn 1 million a year, for example.

So, this morning as my iPod was playing a high energy song, I thought about how summer was fast approaching, the weather had been gorgeous and I was carrying 4 extra kilos of winter weight that I wanted to ditch. I had not been feeling good about the way I looked, my skin had been an eruption party and I was doing the clean up after, with lots of water for the ‘hangover’. So, my goal at this time is to drop the winter padding based on the winter comfort food.

How Do You Reach Your Goals?

To reach your goals, you first need to have some that are meaningful to you. I believe it is good to have short term and longer term goals to strive for and give you a secondary purpose, but that you should not look to reach your goals for happiness. Happiness is in the making, doing and reaching of your goals. Hence, not the start, not the middle and not the end but the entire way through life. If you say “when I reach my goals I will be happy” then you will be disappointed when you get there. Happiness is in the now, not in the past or the future.

I’ve read a few books on setting goals and one of the first books that introduced me to goals is Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad. I also read the book above by Anthony Robbins. Louise Hay’s work (get it here) is also very inspirational.

I am continually reading. I’m currently reading the book pictured above on the left called Change Anything based on the fact that someone I follow online said it was the best personal development book he had read in a very long time.

It is also great if you have a mentor. This could be through books or a life coach; it really is individual and different things work for different people.

Some other things I have learned to reach your goals:

• While it is important not to give up, it is also important to understand when something is not working for you and either ditch it or adjust it
• Write an action plan. Have the goal and the small and the large action steps you need to take to get there
• Create a vision board and take on a positive affirmation
• Every situation is just a moment and it is our mind that gives it a label such as good or bad. Witness your thoughts but don’t become them. If you want to learn more about this powerful approach then you can start here.
• Self-sabotage is easy and even goes unnoticed. Watch the thought behind the thought
• Take one step every day, just like the man I talk about in this article
• Watch that the people you surround yourself with do not try to keep you in the same space
• Join a club that has people in it on a similar journey
• Celebrate the small steps and goals and don’t be too hard on yourself
• Procrastination or fear are goal destroyers or action destroyers.

One of the most powerful sayings for me in my life has been “Take a different action and you will get a different result”.

I am sure there are more tips you can talk about to reach your goals and I’d love for you to include at least one in the comments below or share a little of your success.