I realized I have had the same goals since 2020.
Like, WOOWWWWW! What has your girl been doing?
Playing around obviously. eeekkkk.
In 2020, I wanted:
- To grow my blog and social media
- To pay off my student loans
- To improve my financial situation (50% there)
We have saw some success, but not as much as I would expect. For social media, I received a few gifting opportunities and paid collaborations. That felt amazing. I’ve also paid $5,000 to my student loans. And my emergency fund is fully funded.
We have made some progress, but for 5 years I would like to be farther.
I feel like I am in a loop. I want to accomplish these goals. There is a reason they are constantly on my list of goals. However, I lack the motivation and systems to be consistent.
Unfortunately, I don’t know how to get out of this loop. However, I have documented what I know does and does not work below.
DOs
1. Be consistent
This year, I finally saw the power of consistency. Through an unlikely source… my skincare.
One of my goals this year is to improve my appearance. So, I started seeing an aesthetician to help with my skin goals. For the first three months of the program, I did the recommended routine 75%-80% of the time. I saw NO RESULTS.
I realized my aesthetician was invested in my growth when she called me out for my inconsistency. She challenged me to think about if I was really invested in improving. And if so, what barriers and systems can I put in place to make sure I do my skincare everyday.
After that conversation, I did a complete 360 and started doing my routine every single day. My skin has never looked better.
It made me realize, even though I didn’t think skipping a day was bad, it had an impact. If I skip days regularly, that compounds, causing me not to get the results I want.
Its better to be consistent and show up at 50% than to do nothing at all.
Now, I need to figure out how to apply this consistency to all areas of my life.
2. Write down your goals and keep them visible
I must write down my goals to hold myself accountable. If it’s not written down, I negotiate with myself about the terms of the goal.
I bargain with myself that the goal post was lower or ask myself “why did I really want to achieve the goal?” as a way to get out of doing what I said I would. I also think I do this to avoid the disappointment of not achieving my goal.
Along with writing my goals, I include my “Why?”. This keeps me going on hard days. It also prevents me from backing out of the goal.
3. Accomplishing your goals requires sacrifice
To accomplish your goals, you have to sacrifice your old habits. Your old habits have gotten you this far, but if you want to go higher, it requires different effort.
This past month, I disconnected from social media. This was challenging. I spend a lot of time scrolling and finding “inspiration”.
Through this challenge, I saw how much time I let slip through my fingers. It also revealed how much free time I allocate to my goals.
If you are looking to lose weight, you will need to cut back on certain foods. If you are looking to improve your public speaking skills, you have to sacrifice your comfort.
DON’T
1. Don’t let other people’s opinions stop you
If you want something, don’t let other people’s comments get in your way.
Someone I cared about once stated that posting on social media was silly. It wasn’t until months later that I realized I had slowed down on posting around them. I also felt less confident about going out and creating content when I was alone. I let their judgment unknowingly seep in and this threw me off course.
Remember, just because someone does not see the vision, does not mean that it does not exist. Keep going and remove people who bring you down (if necessary).
2. Don’t try to do too many things at once
I enjoy having a lot of goals and I want to do all the things. The only problem with this is it stretches you thin. That can easily lead to burnout.
A sustainable process is to choose 1-2 things to focus on at a time. Once you get one area down, you can start building on it.
This requires a lot of restraint because there are a ton of ideas of things to pursue. However, I have tried it my way of trying to juggle multiple things at once and I get overwhelmed.
I am currently implementing this right now by just focusing on my blog instead of the broader social media ecosystem. Once I get consistent with blogging, I will learn how to master a social media platform.
3. Make excuses
When you create your goals, let go of excuses. Do not give yourself an out on doing things you need to do. If you say you are going to run everyday, then do that.
When it comes up in your mind and you have time, complete the action. Or schedule a particular time to complete the action.
If you don’t feel up to it, don’t skip it altogether. Instead, modify how long you do the activity or find a less strenuous activity that still pushes you towards the goals.
I hope this advice helps you to get closer to getting out of the loop. As I continue to learn new strategies to reach my goals, I will let you know.