We all have big dreams and goals we want to reach. Oftentimes we even know exactly what we need to do to achieve those goals. Personally, and I’m sure you can relate, I tend to be my own worst enemy. I stand in my own way of reaching my idea of success because of little things like fear and anxiety that will absolutely hold you right where you are forever if you let them.
It’s never easy to hold yourself accountable but no one else can do this for you. The great thing about life is that there’s no specific time frame or date you need to accomplish everything by. We’re all different people with our own paths and I believe things will happen when they are meant to; but you can also make things happen NOW if you are ready to!
You know better than anyone else what you’re capable of. We each have the right to our own ideas of success, which means that your big goals and my big goals may drastically differ but that doesn’t make either end goal less “successful”. What’s important to remember though is that you have to take small actions everyday to get there. You have to be consistent and continue showing up for yourself and your future every day.
Since my self improvement journey began; I’ve found that these following tactics have really helped the most with building stability and holding myself accountable. Lets jump in:
- Wake up at the same time every morning
This will give you so much stability as well as extra time in the day to accomplish things. Since I started waking up at 7 everyday, I have extra time before my Zoom calls to enjoy my coffee and fully wake up first. I do a breathing exercise and think positive/manifesting thoughts.
This will also help you to stop oversleeping. I don’t know about you but anytime I oversleep I end up angry with myself and then the tone for my entire day has started off negative. Give yourself some leeway, because I know it’s not easy, but choose a time in the mornings that works for you to start waking every day. Set your alarm clock and put it across the room so that you have to physically GET up to turn it off. It’s way too easy to hit snooze when it’s within arm’s reach. Choose a louder ringtone. Whatever the problem is that’s causing you to oversleep, you have to find a way to beat it. Your body will gradually adjust to the new time and sooner or later you won’t even need the alarm.
- Exercise frequently! As in multiple times a week
There’s a multitude of reasons for this but the fact is that we only get ONE body. You get this one physical form to last you until you pass. It’s so incredibly important to take care of it. Exercising will maintain your physical well being but also does wonders for your mental health and is a great way for working through mind blocks and stressful situations. Take your anger out on a punching bag or go on a long run; take a few minutes afterward to enjoy that feeling of endorphins and positivity. Notice how clear headed you feel? Imagine if you were able to feel this way every day and tackle all your days with that confidence.
- Give yourself two MUST DO tasks a day and complete them
If you give yourself a laundry list of things to do every day, chances are you won’t accomplish all of them, if any, and then you feel shitty about yourself and don’t want to continue giving yourself goals. Start off small. Give yourself some grace. If you have a goal to get in shape, start off with 10 pushups in the morning and maybe oatmeal for breakfast instead of sugary cereal. They may seem small but once you check those off you’ll get that reminder that you CAN accomplish anything you want to. You can always adjust your goals as you go and remember that we are not perfect. It’s ok to miss a day or make mistakes; just remember to get back up the next day and try again.
- Create a routine that works for you and stick with it
I cannot stress enough the importance of consistency. With anything at all that you want to achieve in this life, you absolutely need to be consistent and continue working towards it on a regular basis. Creating a routine or blocking out a specific time frame everyday (even if it’s only 30 minutes a day) will force you to keep showing up.
Tell yourself things like “ok, 10 am-10:30 am I’ll work on _____” or “every morning I’ll do x amount of exercises”.
Once you get yourself in the habit of doing something it will get easier and you can implement more into your day.
- Write down all of your goals
A major key for reaching my own goals has been to write everything down. Write down your small goals, medium goals, big goals, and extreme goals. Everything. This will help you to get a clearer picture of what it is you’re really working towards and also allow you to break these goals down into smaller goals.
Once you set a big goal; you’ll need to take a step back and write down exactly what you need to do to achieve it. Now that you have this smaller list of steps to get there, you can break those down by time frames. It seems much less overwhelming when you have a solid plan rather than a muddied dream.
- Spend some time alone
I really can’t say it enough. Years ago my therapist told me that she believed every woman should live alone for at least a year in her twenties and after having done that I now agree and believe literally everyone should spend a decent chunk of time living by themselves. Being alone forces you to really deal with your shit. You spend your whole life wrapped up in family and friends it can be hard to remember that YOU are your own person and need time alone with yourself. Especially when in romantic relationships we can lose ourselves in them and forget that we are an individual outside of the romance.
It’s hard being alone in your own silence. It’s hard being in your own head. I definitely get this; but you can’t keep avoiding yourself. You aren’t going anywhere. Face it head on.
- Get a mentor or life coach; even just a friend to check in daily. Having someone else hold you accountable can work wonders
Every day, Monday-Friday, I get on a morning Zoom call with just under 20 other people who run businesses like mine. We block out an hour for our calls but often run over that. We talk about our businesses and goals. We hold each other accountable and problem solve together. We motivate each other and are supportive. Any day that I miss this call I’m able to see and feel the difference in my motivation and energy for the day. Having like minded people to share ideas with and help each other will do wonders for you!! Find a community. Find good friends that will cheer you on. Find a mentor or someone who has achieved the things you want to achieve. Learn from their mistakes.
Start implementing these methods into your life. Even one a time. See and feel the difference it makes to show up for yourself! All those wild dreams of yours will start getting closer in reach.