You can be sure that life will at times be a twisting path of “potholes” around which you must navigate. You’ve likely been through phases of your life already where you wondered if your luck would ever change. Then, things calmed down and you discovered the smoother, straighter road.
Regardless of where your journey leads, it’s important to be able to continue making progress to meet the goals you’ve established for yourself. Through the tough times, staying focused on what you want in life will keep your spirits high and bring you joy.
The key, then, to a fulfilled life is to achieve your goals no matter what.
Try these tips to continue going for your goals even when life’s road gets rough:
1. Know exactly what you’re after in life. What do you want your life to be like? When you’re sure, you can then plan your activities over the short and long term to help you achieve your goals.
2. Keep your list of life goals short and to the point. Some good examples of life goals are”: Save 25% of my yearly earnings for kids’ education, vacations and retirement,” Take budget-friendly vacations out of the country every 5 years,” and “Retire when I’m 67.”
3. Infuse elements of achieving your goals into your everyday life. Let’s say one of your goals, a trip out of the country, will be to Australia 3 years from now. Have a couple of books about Australia laying around the house, on your coffee table and nightstand. Listen to music from Australia on your MP3. Watch television shows about Aussie land.
* Have reminders and tasks to do that are related to meeting your life goals throughout your home. Make your life goals part of your everyday life so that even when times get bumpy, you’ll be able to keep your eyes on what’s really important to you.
4. Talk positively to yourself. It can be quite helpful to use positive self-talk. When you do, you’ll be more likely to keep working toward your goals in life. Say something like, “I’m in a rough patch but I will still keep saving for my retirement and my kids’ educations.”
* Other examples of positive self-talk are “I can get through this challenging phase just like I did before,” “As long as I keep moving forward, things will be okay,” and “Life has in store many more wonderful adventures for me.”
* Using positive self-talk will keep your spirits buoyed when you feel like you’re floundering in choppy waters.
5. Reflect on your efforts in order to reinforce them. Even though you may be struggling, think about what you accomplished just this week to achieve your goals. Maybe you made a couple of phone calls, explored the internet to gather information, or drew up a new budget to ensure you’re on target for saving for your life goals.
* The fact is you did something. And recognizing that will reinforce your efforts in your quest to achieve your goals. You can excel in times of great challenge.
Keep working toward accomplishing your goals even though life throws out more than a few obstacles at you. Know what you’re after and stay focused. Make your life goals a part of your daily life and use positive self-talk. Acknowledge what you’ve done to keep moving forward.
Apply these strategies to help you consistently work to meet your life goals. If you do, you’ll accomplish whatever you want, no matter what.