When It’s Hard To Stick With Your Goals and Plans, These Ideas Will Help

How To Stick With Your Goals and Plans

We would all be over achievers if we were able to do the things we said we were going to do on a consistent basis.

Indeed, the bookshelves would be devoid of diet books and productivity books would be unheard of, but this just isn’t the case.

Instead you can get hold of books on any self-improvement subject you want, because, for all of us, wanting something and actually following through on our commitment to achieve that thing can be illusive.

Regrettably, I’m not immune to this phenomenon.

I’ve started and not finished so many things I can’t even remember half of them!

And even when you love to do something, you can’t always control your self-discipline to make things happen exactly as you want them to.

How Important Is Your Goal To You?

But one thing I know I’m pretty much always capable of doing, is getting back to it, if it’s important enough to me.

Writing has always been important to me, but there have been times when I haven’t wanted or haven’t been able to write. That creates an uncomfortable feeling within be, a tug-o’-war if you like of wanting v not wanting.

But the motivation for writing are an important part of who I am. By that, I mean that to not write, diminishes me in some way. I become less of the person I know I am and that makes me unhappy.

You might know this feeling yourself. It often poses as a frustration that you can’t quite put your finger on. You feel unhappy or a little anxious, but you don’t know why and even though you try the “normal” things to stem the feeling, it all feels hopelessly inadequate.

Never give up on your dreams, it’s the purest form of living.

I read this somewhere recently and wholeheartedly agree. Not living up to your dreams (goals) leaves you feeling a lack in some way. The worst of it being that you often don’t know why you feel that way. You just do.

So if I could offer some advice here, try chasing down your dreams. You’ll feel alive in a way that you haven’t felt for a long time!

Letting Go Of The Outcome

For goal-driven individuals, this is a tough ask.

When I’m working towards my goals, I want the outcome I’ve defined, and I pretty much want it now!

But what I want and what I get are often not the same thing, but somehow, it’s usually better in some way. For this reason, I’m trying hard to let go of the precise outcome I’m working towards.

It’s nigh on impossible to control events. Instead we have to accept that events keep happening all around us, with or without our intervention.

Instead, our remit is to work with the events as they unfold, controlling our responses and reactions so that we can make the best out of a dud hand if that’s what comes our way.

Or, how about thinking about it this way: making the best out of a great hand so that we don’t lose out on any of the advantages that it might create for us.

Change The Method, Not The Goal

Sometimes your method just doesn’t work. That doesn’t mean that the goal is wrong. So, if you truly want to achieve your goal, then what are you meant to do?

Change the method!

Here’s a personal example which a lot of people will be familiar with at some point in their lives.

I’ve been trying to lose weight for what feels like forever. In fact, if I look back over my My Fitness Pal app, I started trying to seriously lose weight back in 2016 after surgery and imposed immobility meant that I piled on weight and reached my heaviest weight ever.

But the journey has been difficult. I’ve tried all the usual diet methods, including attending classes, buying a Fitbit and upping my steps, following faddy diets etc. All of these worked, to some extent, but would often lead to a plateau that I just couldn’t seem to shift out of.

So again, I find myself researching and trying a new method to get myself to my goal.

Because, the goal isn’t going away! And if that’s the case, then I have to find the next method that will work for me.

One way or another I’m going to get to my goal weight, but the method is pretty much irrelevant. So why not experiment? If one method isn’t working, look for the next…and the next…until you find your means of breaking through.

That goes for anything in life that is trying to hold you back.

There’s never just one way to do things which is one of the biggest benefits I can see for keeping on at working towards your goals.

Differing methods will offer up different results at different times, in different quantities and with differing merits. This then is another reason we should actively let go of trying to control the precise outcome.

Keep Persisting

One of my best qualities is persistence, but unhappily despite it being one of my best qualities, it’s tempered with an unhealthy dose of inconsistency.

I have to work hard at consistency. I forget, fall off the wagon, lose interest, get distracted and procrastinate. And all at Olympic levels. It would be my complete undoing, if it wasn’t for my ability to persist.

I’m also pretty good at ignoring other people’s advice. Especially people who want to put me off from doing what I want to do.

I’ve experienced this quite recently when someone who I thought would be supportive of a fledgling idea I had wasn’t. It wouldn’t be so bad if it were just “wasn’t”, but I actually came away from the conversation wondering if my idea was complete rubbish.

It’s taken me a little over a week to come to terms with the negative review of my idea but now I’m ready to get back to work on it.

My persistence has gotten the better of me once again (thankfully) and I’m going to keep going in spite of the feedback.

Where do you need to strengthen your persistence muscle and ignore “well meaning” advice if you’re going to achieve your goals?

See Yourself As A Problem Solver

Achieving your goals is going to be a master class in problem solving. Whether you like it or not, you’ll only get as far in the pursuit of your goals as your ability to solve the problems that will crop up along the way.

There’s a saying I heard a while ago in the workplace that says that you’ll only be promoted to the extent that you’re able to solve problems. Think about that for a moment and see the truth in it.

Have you ever had a manager who is clearly out of their depth? Their ability to solve the issues that arise just seems to swamp them and you’re left feeling directionless and unsupported?

Well the same holds true in your quest to achieve your goals. The minute you become unhinged by a problem and allow yourself to believe that you can’t solve it, then poof! There goes your goal achievement.

But the great thing about problem-solving is that you can deal with each one as they arise. You don’t have to know all the answers at the outset or even when you’re half way there! Just know enough that you can progress a little at a time.

Be Prepared To Work Hard

I’m not going to pretend that working towards your goals is easy, because that would be unfair. But why shouldn’t it be hard work?

All the easy stuff is already taken! Just look around, you can see it. Everything is out there, waiting for you to move towards it. But as with the hard stuff, the ordinary and common-place are available to you too. Your choices will make the difference in your life.

So be unique and strive for the things that make you happy. That thing that will fill the void you’ve been feeling. Honour it and honour yourself. Embrace the work it will take and feel yourself fill with appreciation by loving yourself enough to put yourself through the growth and self-development you will experience.

Stand Out and Be Brave

So be brave and look for opportunities. Opportunities to fill your potential, opportunities to solve problems, opportunities to work hard and make a difference, opportunities to become the person you know you want to be.

Living life to the full is about putting yourself out there and on record as the person who is going to do this “thing” that is most important to him/her.

Don’t hold back, and most importantly, do not be held back. Do your thing, be you and achieve the goals you want to achieve.

No one else is you and no else has the right to tell you what you should be, do and have.

Now isn’t that wonderful?