Traditionally, the new year is about setting goals and taking the right steps to achieve them. However, this annual tradition often begs the question — what causes some people to achieve their goals effortlessly while others fail before they even begin? When it comes to living your best life, knowing how to set goals properly, build positive habits, and take the appropriate actions can separate vision from reality.
Perhaps you have recently created an extensive list of New Year’s resolutions to complete by the end of the year. Or maybe you’ve been meaning to achieve a goal for some time but have no idea where to start. Fortunately, making your visions come alive is possible with the proper tools.
If you have been experiencing trouble staying consistent with your goals, check out some of the best ways that you can achieve your goals one step at a time with some help from Headway.
Key points:
Setting a goal is the easiest part of the process — it’s usually the achievement process that stumps people. Adopting the right mindset can help you stay motivated to work toward your goals.
Goals come in all shapes and sizes. Luckily, there are methods you can adopt to achieve your goals quicker and more efficiently, such as developing a healthier mindset, setting deadlines, and building a broad skill set.
One of the best ways to achieve your goals is to invest in personal development. Headway can help you achieve goals by giving you access to a variety of self-help book summaries that offer guidance and advice on any topic you desire.
Top 10 ways to achieve your goals
Goal-setting is often the first step to manifesting where you want to be in life. However, not everyone is certain how to start the process. To give you a guiding hand, here are eight ways to help you achieve your goals.
1. Invest more time in self-improvement
Almost everyone has set a New Year’s resolution at some point that involves becoming a better person. One of the major stumbling blocks is the lack of time available to invest in self-improvement. However, there are now tools available to help keep you on track.
The Headway app is a great starting point for anyone looking to pay more attention to personal growth. With this book summary app, you can stay consistent with your goals by tracking your reading progress and achievements. In turn, you will be more likely to experience a willingness to make better choices for your mental and physical health. Start working toward your goals with unlimited educational content for self-growth on the Headway app.
2. Write down your goals
One of the first steps to achieving your goal is to get it out of your mind and onto paper. As you write everything down, you’ll be able to see your goals laid out in front of you and be able to plan a step-by-step process to achieve them. For example, if you have a goal of drinking more water, writing this down can help you figure out ways to work this into your lifestyle.
While writing, you may want to take it a step further by writing more about what you hope to achieve. This can be anything from a detailed plan to simple thoughts and ideas — include why you would like to manifest these goals, when you would like to see them achieved, and where they will take place. Afterward, consider placing your goal list somewhere you frequently visit, so you are reminded of your goal every day.
3. Develop a healthy mindset
It is very difficult to achieve goals without the proper mindset in the first place. Before you begin enacting any physical changes, start by looking within. You might even consider your mindset your greatest asset in achieving your goals. How you exercise your thoughts has significant power over your reality, so you should prioritize your mental processes.
For example, suppose you struggle with a lazy mindset that prevents you from achieving bigger goals — such as landing a better job or purchasing real estate. In that case, you can take steps to change it into the ideal ‘go-getter’ attitude. Some people find this can be done by meditating on the exact mindset you wish to achieve and enacting small, consistent changes to make it happen.
4. Define your fears and obstacles
From chronic procrastination to stage fright, everyone has flaws that inhibit them in one way or another. However, these flaws can sometimes hold you back from becoming the best version of yourself. For example, you may find that your resolutions are left unfulfilled at the end of every year. You seem only to make it halfway through each goal before you give up. This means something is holding you back from seeing your goals to fruition.
To fully commit to your goals, you’ll need to find out exactly what is keeping you from achieving them at this moment in time. For most people, this may be a fear of failure or an inability to commit. Others might even simply be experiencing a lack of knowledge or experience in what they want to achieve. Once you figure out what it is, it can be easier to create a set of steps to help you manifest your dreams into reality.
5. Set deadlines and schedules
Setting deadlines can help you become more structured with your goals and encourage you to complete them within a certain timeframe. This can give you a structured idea of the exact time you should complete your goals, which can encourage you to start moving quickly and find more efficient methods.
Consider downloading an app on your phone to remind you of any upcoming deadlines you don’t want to miss. When the reminder shows up, take action immediately and take the appropriate steps to achieve that goal before the time is up. You might also decide to place reminders in your calendar to have certain things achieved by each day or week. Following this practice can help prevent procrastination as you complete steps in a reasonable amount of time.
6. Build a broad skill set
No matter what age you are, there are always skills you can adopt that will help you become a more knowledgeable person. Remember that, technically, no skill is unnecessary. Nearly every skill can be useful in some way, and learning something you didn’t know before is always an accomplishment!
Consider working on building skills that cater to your specific goals. For example, if you aim to open a bakery, you might improve your baking skills by baking something daily. You might also take a baking course to offer valuable ideas and insights into the hobby and profession. Over time, these skills can help you make significant progress toward achieving your goals by offering you the necessary knowledge to make it happen.
7. Create a vision board
This method is similar to writing down your goals, but instead of painting them with words, you’ll essentially be drawing them visually. As such, vision boards are a great technique for visual-minded people who may work better by seeing their goals in material form rather than as a thought in their mind. Think of it as setting the stage for the type of reality you want to create, which you can act out accordingly later on.
Vision boards can go up in any part of the home that you visit often. Choose an area that welcomes the most positive energy, such as your bedroom or office space. The easiest vision board you can create is with a pen and paper. However, if you’d like to take it a step further, the classic vision board is made with a corkboard, pins, and cutouts. The type of vision board you create highly depends on the goals you want to achieve.
8. Reflect on your ideas
Many successful people have one thing in common — they started with a vision in mind. Beginning with a vision is essential in manifesting your dreams into reality. However, reflecting on a vision is different from creating a vision board, but the latter can be useful. Once you have your vision lined out, you can focus on making it happen.
Whatever you envision can be a reality if you take the time to reflect on it consistently. Begin by carving out a time each day to devote specifically to your goal reflection. Then, find a quiet area to sit and visualize what it might look like to attain your goals. What does the environment around you look like in your vision? What kinds of people are there to support you? Consider these questions as you reflect.
9. Practice patience with yourself
Depending on what your goals are, some may take more time to achieve than others. For example, having a goal of purchasing a home can take years, while a goal to purchase a new bicycle can take significantly less time. In this case, it’s important to be mindful of the prospects of each goal you wish to bring into reality.
Be compassionate with yourself along this process — you are only human, and no one is perfect. Give yourself leeway to make mistakes and offer yourself grace when setbacks occur. Whether you are working towards a long-term or short-term goal, this sympathy for yourself can help you achieve your goals faster by giving you the confidence to move forward after error.
10. Reward yourself generously
Remember that no one else can achieve your goals except you. Be patient and kind to yourself throughout the process. You could even reward yourself when passing certain milestones.
For instance, if you have been working out consistently, you might reward yourself with a celebratory dinner after a month of following a strict regime. Or, if you have taken the steps toward financing a vehicle by saving up half of the money you’ll need, you may celebrate by purchasing a custom license plate. These small rewards can help keep you motivated to keep going.
Start achieving your goals with Headway
Self-help books are an essential part of any personal development journey. They can offer valuable insights into what it takes to lead a healthy lifestyle. However, finding the time to read full-length books may not always be easy. Fortunately, the Headway app is equipped with a comprehensive collection of book summaries that can help you absorb the key insights of any book in half the time.
Headway offers a great opportunity for individuals to kickstart their goals faster and more efficiently. With this app, you can listen to 15-minute book summaries on the world’s leading bestsellers in self-help. Collect achievements and stay motivated by purchasing a premium subscription that offers you various skill-building resources.
Download the Headway app to gain unlimited access to a library of over 1500 audiobook summaries in various genres.
FAQ
What is the best way to achieve a goal?
The most suitable way of achieving a goal can look different according to each person. For example, some people prefer a visual goal-setting method, such as a vision board. Other people might like a more structured way of planning their goals by setting specific deadlines. In this regard, it is important to follow the method you feel is best for achieving your personal goals within your preferred style.
How can you help someone else reach a goal?
Reaching your own personal development goals is a significant accomplishment. However, sometimes the people around us need a little help in achieving their own goals. Certain achievements take a village to complete, and helping someone with a goal can look like encouraging them along every milestone and being their source of motivation and perseverance. Often, having someone to be your cheerleader and hold you accountable for missed deadlines or mistakes can help you see your goals to fruition.
How long does it take to reach a goal?
The amount of time it takes to achieve a goal can vary according to the type of goal and the person trying to reach it. For instance, if your goal is to start eating healthier and exercising more, a person with a well-balanced diet and moderate exercise may find it takes less time to commit and reach their wellness goals. However, someone with a history of bad eating habits and little to no experience in exercise might find that it takes them much longer to achieve the goals they’re looking for. In this case, it is important to be mindful of where you are in your journey and give yourself patience and room to grow.
