3 Tips To Make Your Goals Stick

I adore a fresh start. It is a moment full of aspirations when we take a look in the mirror and get a glimpse of what could be…of who we could be! This might happen at the beginning of a new year and result in an exciting new year’s resolution. Typical resolutions are getting back in shape, working extra hard to get promoted, or reading one or two books per month.

How’s it been going for you so far? Are you still highly motivated and on track to meet your new year’s resolution? If so, congratulations! If not, let me share some of my key learnings to help you reach your goals.

#1 Make it meaningful

How motivating does “I need to work harder to get promoted” or “I need to work out every day” sound? I already feel put off just hearing it. No wonder it’s nearly impossible to stick to such a goal!

My most important advice is to give your goals meaning in line with your purpose and values.

Why do you want to get promoted? Assume your purpose is to empower others to have a positive impact. If a promotion translates to having a bigger team, then you'd be able to empower more people to have a positive impact. This would be in line with your purpose and gives you the why.

Similarly, imagine you have two little kids at home and are too unfit to play with them. Getting back into shape will allow you to be the parent you want to be. Can you see yourself running around with your kids? That kind of motivation will allow you to stick to your goals!

#2 Set realistic goals

Rome wasn’t built in a day… it does take time to go from 0 to 100! You can’t just skip the learning curve and become an expert in whatever you envision. For example, if you can only run for 2 minutes, running a marathon in 2 months seems unrealistic. Instead, split it into more realistic goals. Your next target could be running 10 minutes, then 20 minutes, and then even 5k! Which approach is more likely to result in success?

Achieving one goal will motivate you to go after the next one. It’s like splitting up the hike to get to the top of a mountain in smaller iterations and suddenly you are on top!

#3 Be kind to yourself

What happens if you don’t manage to meet your goal one day? Maybe, you didn’t sleep well and left work early instead of going the extra mile. Chances are that you won’t be pleased with yourself and feel rather disappointed that you can’t stick to your goals.

If it was your best friend instead who felt exhausted and just wanted to rest. What would you tell them? I assume it’d be something compassionate like “don’t you worry, tomorrow is another day. Take good care of yourself!”

Words matter! Talk to yourself as if you were your best friend! What truly matters is what you do 80% of the time. If you take it easy one day, so what? Just get up the next day and go after your goals again.

This kindness will help you to stick to your goals and a day off will be nothing more than a tiny bump in the road. You got this!

If you feel inspired to get more clarity on your purpose and values or need support to reach your professional goals, we should talk! You can reach me at johanna.herbst@delygate.com.

And if you enjoy podcasts, please tune in to my new show "Reaching your Goals" on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.