Do you find yourself setting goals to help you reach your dreams, but never actually accomplishing those goals?
We’ve all been there.
We sometimes have the best of intentions in going full throttle toward achieving our goals, but then something manages to get in the way of our success.
Why is that?
It’s because we aren’t following the necessary steps to set ourselves up for goal-crushing success! Yes, there is absolutely a formula involved when it comes to successful goal setting and achieving.
Today I’m sharing my 6-step formula that helps me in achieving my own goals, and I hope it helps you too! I also created a super helpful + free goal planning worksheet for you to use, so feel free to fill out the form below to grab it so you can use it as you read through this post!
The 6-step formula to crush your goals:
1. Determine realistic goals for yourself
While “running a marathon by the end of the month” might sound like a mighty awesome goal, it’s probably not that realistic if you haven’t run at all in three years.
While it’s great to dream big and shoot for the stars, setting realistic goals is key to ensuring that we are actually able to accomplish them. You will find yourself becoming very discouraged if you set huge, lofty goals that you’re never able to actually reach.
Instead of training to run a marathon in less than a month, try extending your goal to run a marathon within a year. It will give you enough time to realistically train for that type of physical endurance and will encourage you to keep working hard toward accomplishing that goal.
2. Break them down into smaller, actionable steps
Breaking our big goals down into smaller, actionable steps helps us to figure out exactly what we need to do to achieve those goals.
So let’s say you want to start a profitable blog so that you can quit your full-time job and work from home. That can be a pretty overwhelming goal if it’s not broken up into smaller steps.
Some examples of actionable steps for this type of goal would be:
- Spend some time thinking about topics you might like to write about and what the overarching theme of your blog will be
- Actually go about setting your blog up through a tutorial like this one
- Start writing posts and creating relationships with other bloggers
While this is purely an example, segmenting bigger goals into smaller and more manageable sub-goals helps you to build your self-confidence and keeps you motivated through the process.
This way, you are able to focus on each action step involved in reaching your overall goal and can celebrate completing those actions steps along the way.
I’ve created a free goal planning worksheet to help you keep track of your goals and the action steps you’ll need to take to achieve them. Be sure to fill out the form below to snag it!
3. Keep your goals in plain sight
Keeping your goals physically front and center helps to ensure that you don’t forget about them. Because let’s face it, life gets busy and we all have a lot going on!
Display your goal planning worksheet somewhere that you are forced to look at it every day – multiple times a day is even better! Perhaps you can tape it to your fridge or on the wall behind your desk so that you are constantly being reminded of your goals.
Or if you have a planner that you use to track your daily tasks, that might be a good place to keep it too.
4. Find an accountability partner
One of the greatest ways to motivate yourself to accomplish your goals is to tell someone about them.
Having an accountability partner to check in with on a regular basis is really going to give you that push you need to succeed. I would suggest finding someone who has a similar goal as you (it doesn’t have to be the exact same goal though), and holding each other accountable to reach those goals.
Set up daily, weekly, or monthly check-ins with each other to go over your progress with your action steps and use each other as a sounding board for what is and isn’t working along the way.
5. Be flexible
While it’s important to follow through with the goals you’ve set for yourself, sometimes life happens.
Maybe you’re family is growing, you lose your job, or you become physically unable to complete your goal.
Don’t beat yourself up over not being able to accomplish your goal in the same way that you originally wanted to. Be flexible and know that sometimes our goals have to change in the same way that our lives do.
Roll with those punches and don’t let unexpected bumps along the way discourage you from giving up on your dreams all together; sometimes it just takes a little longer to reach those goals we set, or we have to go about achieving them in a different way. And that’s okay!
Being flexible allows us to see the bigger picture and not give up on our goals entirely.
6. Reward yourself
Rewarding yourself along every single step of the way is so important when it comes to working toward your goals.
Make sure that you reward yourself for every small milestone you reach, and not just when you reach your big goal. This is such a good motivator on those days where you are struggling and want to just give up!
Even if it’s something as simple as treating yourself to a new yoga video, or even a latte from your favorite coffee shop, make sure to reward yourself for all the hard work you’re putting in.
Setting and achieving your goals doesn’t have to lead to frustration and giving up. I hope this 6-step formula to crush your goals helps you to make your big dreams a reality!
What big goals would you like to accomplish in the near future? Share with me in the comments section below! 🙂
There are affiliate links in this post. If you choose to make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I love myself and that I think would benefit you too. Thank you for helping to support Embracing Simple in this way!
Daisy @ Simplicity Relished says
YES!! I love how approachable each of your steps is. I have fallen off the workout bandwagon and this is going to help me get back on. Thanks Christina!
Christina Tiplea says
Thank you Daisy! I’m so glad you found this helpful 🙂
Heather @ Simply Save says
Writing down my goals and exactly what steps I’ll take to reach them makes me realize they ARE possible and helps motivate me!
Christina Tiplea says
Absolutely Heather!!
Kaitlin @ The Mom on PUrpose says
I love #5 – Be Flexible! Sometimes I think as we work towards our goals, they change and evolve over time, just as we do. Sometimes a goal we had a year ago no longer has as much meaning as it once did! Thanks for sharing! Definitely an inspirational post!
Christina Tiplea says
Thank you Kaitlin! I agree, being flexible is SO important.
Sara says
Writing my goals down & putting them where I can see them is key for me. I need to start thinking about my goals for 2016!
Christina Tiplea says
Me too Sara, seeing my goals on regular basis reminds me to take the steps I need to make them a reality!
Janne Etz says
I do best when I have things written down in front of me, so the Goal Planner is awesome–thanks! I also tend to procrastinate, so having an accountability partner really helps me do what I say I’m going to do!
HAWWA ANSAAm says
I love this 6step guide to achieving my goals… Well, I know that the first step is not to make huge goals which we might not accomplish and then we’d be so disappointed… But what to do… Life is so short and so many things to do…
My biggest aim for this year 2016 is to be in the global top 10’s and national top 3’s… Well, am in my last year of secondary education and gonna do my o’levels this year October|November… I just wish that I get into the top 3’s, get into CHSE and study my a’levels there and get a govt. scholarship to go abroad and study medicine from UK… This aim of my life is gonna take me years… Maybe around a decade from now, and then only would I see my dream come true, Dr. Ansaam… But, for this whole dream to come true, its so much imp. to get into the top 3’s… Last year, I got the 9th place from the nation, and believe me, I did not even touch the books… So doesn’t that mean that, if I study, and force myself beyond the limit, then I can just stand a chance to win all hearts and accomplish my goal… All, pls wish me luck… And thanks a lot, these steps can really come in handy…??
Morgan says
I am getting ready to start my own blog and I found this SUPER helpful! I love the screenshots you added to make it really easy to follow along. This article makes me so excited to start blogging!
Christina Tiplea says
Aw that’s awesome, Morgan! So happy to hear it and best of luck with starting your blog – let me know if I can help at all 🙂
Dominique says
Hi i really find this helpful and plan on take step to write a blog even a book on my life if u have any other great ideas please contact me thank u
mauro ricci says
I congratulate you all first for your blog, I like it a lot, now I have more motivation. I am going through a period of failure and from this I want to be reborn and get up to reach my dream that I have always set myself. I also learned to help by removing that negative thinking that is naturally in our subconscious, repeating every day at least 10 times, I’m great, I will reach my goals. I worked hard to improve my life and find the strength to go forward in a better way, by enrolling in courses, listening to better people and reading books. These are the few friends you have on your journey to fight all the monsters in your life. These few friends are to be kept close. One of all that helped me the most and it is a very special course, which I recommend to everyone:
https://bitly.is/33M20Cu
Thanks to all you, may God bless you.
Mauro.
Harry says
Great advice. Thanks for sharing this!
If you’re interested in goal setting and habit building, please check out a product called GoalsOnTrack at https://www.goalsontrack.com. It’s designed for helping high achievers to set and track goals by organizing everything you need to do inside a comprehensive goal planning system.
MAURO RICCI says
Thank you Christina.
Trent Boult says
It’s a great steps and very amazing define. love to read it.