Don’t Just Write Your Goal Down—Define It “You need to have a crystal clear vision of what you’re going to accomplish,” Alex says. So your goal is to buy a house. Don’t stop there. Write down the details— a 2,500 square-foot Craftsman- style home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an apron sink in the kitchen. Envision every aspect of your goal. Create a vision board. Post an image on your computer desktop or your phone’s lock screen. Knowing exactly what your goal is and having numerous visual reminders of it will keep you focused. Once you know what you want to accomplish, it’s imperative to break down a step-by-step system to get there. “If you want to lose weight, you need to know exactly how many pounds you want to lose. You need to know the process of how to lose those pounds—how to work out, how to eat,” Alex says. define As you break down your goal into daily steps, make sure the first few requirements are things you can easily ace.
Build In a Win build In physics, momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object—the size and the speed of it. The bigger something is, the longer it will take to get up to speed, but once it’s there, the harder it is to stop. The same principle applies to human willpower. As you break down your goal into daily steps, make sure the first few requirements are things you can easily ace. You’re bound to encounter discouragement and other obstacles, but if you already have some momentum, they won’t stop you. When Benjamin Franklin charted his Thirteen Virtues, he did not hold himself to perfection on the very first day. His initial goal was simply to mark down the times he caught himself doing something he wanted to change. That was easy! Even though he made mistakes, at the end of the day he had something to feel good about because he had been successful in tracking his behaviors. Knowing exactly what you want and what it will take to get it will pave your way to success. To buy a house, you’ll need a house and price range in mind. Then determine how much your down payment will be, how to save for it, monitor your credit score, qualify for a loan, and shop for your house.
Start Each Day with Direction start Every day is an opportunity for progress. Start each morning with a manageable, measurable action item. If you’re trying to lose weight, your daily directive might be to refrain from eating desserts that day. If you’re focusing on finding new customers, you might commit to call two names on your contact list or strike up a conversation with one of the parents at soccer practice. This is where Alex says it’s critical to understand the steps and milestones necessary to make the end goal possible. “If you want to achieve the next status, you have to know exactly what is needed,” Alex says. “You have to know how many calls to make a day, how many presentations you’ll do a day.”
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Write down your goal and all the steps needed to reach it—including deadlines for each task.
Create daily visual reminders of your goals. A picture of your dream home on your phone is a great reminder.
22 DECEMBER 2015/JANUARY 2016 | MELALEUCA.COM
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