3 Tips to Help You Reach Your Goals

Let me guess, you have big goals and a general vision for your ideal career, health, relationships, self-care, and finances… But somehow, you keep getting in your own way. 

Well, you’re not alone. You and many of those around you are part of a repetitive cycle of  “i’ll do it tomorrow” or “i’ll start fresh on Monday…” According to the U.S. News & World Report, the failure rate for New Year’s resolutions is about 80%, and most lose their commitment by mid-February.

If you think about it, it makes sense. Throughout our lives we’ve inherently had built in accountability networks and systems; whether that’s through our parents, teachers, bosses, tests or deadlines. But what about when it comes to our personal goals, such as searching for a more fulfilling career, prioritizing self care, or sticking to your physical and mental health routines? 

Somehow we’re expected to come up with the motivation, discipline, and commitment within ourselves, but the BIG question is “how?”

The answer is habits. Our daily habits are like building blocks. We stack one block on top of another, on top of another, and just like that our day is built. Creating new habits takes time, we have to very intentionally add new blocks to create new habits. The good news is, once you create consistency, they’re difficult to break. 

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, shared a study that showed on average, it takes more than 2 months, approximately 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. 

Here are a few small tips to help:

1)   Pick ONE specific goal – As Gary Keller says, ask yourself “what is the ONE thing you can do, such that by doing it, everything else will become easier or unnecessary?”

2) Start SMALL and BUILD – If your goal is to start working out more start with 1-2 days a week or 5-15 minutes. If you want to save more, start with $5 a week. Once you have established a small habit that is working towards your larger goal you can start adding on.  

3) Stack your habits – Pick something that is already part of your daily, weekly, or monthly routine and “stack” the new habit that you would like to develop onto it. This could be something like brushing your teeth in the morning. 

These are just a few of the many techniques that I use to support my clients in making attainable moves towards their personal and professional dreams. 

HINT: The hardest part is getting started. You’re never EVER going to want to but once you start experiencing the reward of your new habit you will keep on keepin’ on.

If you found this article helpful, please join Meghan Bachman, Holistic Health Accountability Coach on November 11 at 4:30pm for an upbeat webinar: Honing Your Holiday Holistic Health, where she will share strategies and resources to support you in making your personal well-being a priority this holiday season.