Achieving big goals will happen for you, but only if you show up prepared. Perhaps you’re ready to grow your business, invest in a property, or fulfill your career aspirations. 

These goals can be scary to think about, especially if you don’t have a ton of support, or you have to venture into the unknown to find your way. 

Rest assured that your goal is attainable and you can do it without stressing the whole way. 

Here’s how you can become your own success story…

Make a list of what needs to be done and focus on completing one task at a time

The feeling that the end goal seems far away causes anxiety. You want it badly and are so ready to experience the finished product, but the amount of work leading up to it seems like more than you can handle. 

Instead of looking at the long list of to-dos, or all the skills you have to learn, look at each step as one accomplishment. Aim to complete each item, one at a time before looking ahead to what’s next. The “what’s next” part can easily feel discouraging, and that’s not what you need to push you through.

It’s important to keep a running list of what needs to be done, and Entrepreneur recommends tracking your progress. In doing so, you get the opportunity to celebrate your wins along the way. 

Witnessing and acknowledging your progress is a great motivator. It shows you that all of your seemingly small steps add up to something huge.

Get the rest your mind and body needs

We have to talk about this one upfront because it’s commonly overlooked as being a strong driver of healthy success. Too often we overwork ourselves, feeling that we can’t stop until we drop. 

When we take that approach, we easily set ourselves up for discomfort that shows up in the form of stress, anxiety, or decreased productivity. 

Instead, try taking a break to regroup and give yourself time to breathe. When you’re well-rested you have more patience and focus, stronger comprehension skills, and memory retention. Check out this study on how sleep strengthens your memories, before and after you learn something new. 

Here’s what you can do….

Be sure to give yourself a day off. Or, if you’ve been studying all day, set aside 20-minute breaks to get fresh air or take a walk in nature. Short breaks allow your brain to process what you’ve learned and give you energy to continue on.

Surround yourself with like minds

They say “we are what we eat”. And it’s true. If you eat a well-balanced diet you feel great and healthy. If you eat junk food, you feel sluggish and can’t seem to catch a break from feeling ugh, out of shape. Same goes for the people you hang out with. 

When you hang around ambitious people who want to learn and grow, you are motivated to do the same. The inverse is true. Pessimistic quitters only bring you down.

Find people you can connect with in study groups or support groups. 

The beauty of the internet is the ability to reach out to people who are in similar situations with just the tap of a fingertip. 

You can lean on each other, offer advice, and share experiences.

Make it your intention to gravitate toward positive people who lift you up. 

You’ll feel confident, supported, and accountable in a way that pushes you past your perceived limitations.

Don’t let decisions hold you back

There are many decisions that require deep contemplation and time. But there are also some decisions that seem bigger than they are, holding us back from moving forward. 

When you come to a fork in the road, and have a decision to make or a problem to solve, take a step back to assess if, A) your answer can be changed or modified later on and B) will the issue prevent you from taking your next step. 

If you can change your mind down the road, then make a quick decision and keep moving, knowing you can address and modify later. 

If the problem or decision is not something you need to solve now, don’t dwell on it and keep working towards your very next goal. If you have to add this ‘new’ hurdle to your to-do list, fine, but don’t let it hold you back from continuing on.

Don’t let curveballs throw you off your game

Expect that things won’t go as planned. Just know you’ll detour a thing or two but it’ll all be for the right reasons. 

So many times in life you’ll pivot, maybe unwillingly, but the end result turns out to be the exact thing you needed at the right time.

Plus when you’re too rigid in the path you expect to take, you may miss out on potential growth or life-changing opportunities. 

Are you a planner? Me too. 

So what can we do to have a plan but ‘plan’ for change? We can keep our task list and our timeline separate. This allows for certain tasks to (unexpectedly) take longer than others but doesn’t mean that we won’t hit our goal deadline. 

If something unexpected pops up, look at it as a meant-to-be challenge and tackle it head-on, so you can keep moving no matter what the detour looks like. 

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