Self improvement. The infamous task that is notably easier said than done. The claims that repeat themselves and are not as commonly fulfilled as they should be: “I’m gonna start my diet tomorrow!” or “I’m gonna sleep early this semester.” Did you really start your diet? Or more like, did it last for more than a week until you saw your friends enjoy that hot lava cake? Did you consistently sleep early that semester? In life, we are hesitant to make faulty promises; if we don’t plan on sticking by something, it’s hard to commit to it. So why are promises to ourselves so loosely fitted and not as naturally held accountable for?
We Must Become Our Greatest Source Of Motivation
A dominant factor is our comfort in relying on other people as a means of keeping ourselves in check. It’s easy to complete certain tasks when we know someone else is watching. Unarguably, I will work harder if my boss is watching. I will push myself to finish an assignment if there is a pressing time limit. Whatever it might be, the idea that we are held accountable for something and the sense of relief and accomplishment we feel when we do abide, is the most effective variable to getting sh*% done! We hire personal trainers, for example, for this very reason. Someone won’t leave us alone until we finish a certain task, and once we do, we feel amazing! We rely on others to keep ourselves accountable to our actions, where in reality, we should be our most pressing watchdog. So why can’t we morph the watchdogs other people seem to be into ourselves? Why can’t we be our own personal trainers?
The solution? We do just that! We become our own personal trainers! We become our strongest motivator. We become the factor that pushes us that much harder. We become what we’re scared of. You. Me. Us. And no, it is not easier said than done. It is so doable.
The solution is engraved in the mere act of goal setting. But not just any vague goal. The power rests in your ability to set the most small, specific goal as possible. Do not tell yourself, “I’m gonna go for a run tomorrow.” What kind of run? When? Where? Have you done it before? Is it attainable? Is it realistic? These all must be answered in your goal. For example, when providing someone with a recipe for banana bread, you don’t just say, “you’ll need butter, flour, sugar, bananas.” We need measurements! We need to know how much of what! Otherwise our outcome lies ambiguous. And ambiguity is the last thing we want! I want to guarantee my banana bread is going to taste amazing. I’m not looking for any surprises. Who wants inconsistent banana bread? Not me. I want it soft and sweet and golden all the time, not just on the occasion. The same exact concept applies to goal setting. Do you want inconsistent results? Or do you want to guarantee accomplishment every single time? Do you want to get exactly what you want out of yourself?
Then you must answer the question, what do you envision yourself to be? Doing what? Where? You are manifesting the reality you dream to live, and in order to do that, you need to get specific, realistic, and small. The more specific you are, the more you understand what you want, why you want it, and how you’re going to get it. The more “bite-sized” your goal is, the easier it is to achieve, acting as a motivating force for more and more goals smashed. The more realistic these bite sized pieces are, the less they demand from you, allowing you to work towards your huge vision and demolish the absolute crap out of it.
Writing Goals Down The Right Way: Get Specific!
Now that we have how we are going to set the goals nailed, we need to write them down the right way. And repeat them. Rhetoric and repetition are your right man(s). And here’s the cache– you don’t write your in the form of a command (ie “Run a mile tomorrow morning”), but rather in the present tense, as if you are already regularly doing it, as if the goal has been achieved. And on top of that, add how you feel now that you’ve formed this habit. Here’s what I mean.
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I regularly go to the gym across the street every single morning for 30 minutes. I do 15 minutes on the treadmill and 15 minutes lifting weights, and I feel amazing every single time. It clears my head and gets me ready to conquer the day!
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I have received a GPA of 3.8 my spring semester in university. I study every single night and get ahead on all of my assignments. This helps prevent stress and makes me feel much less overwhelmed.
See what I did there? I wrote as if I already go to the gym and reflected on how it makes me feel. Then, I repeat this to myself every single morning. I wrote as if I already received a GPA of 3.8 and that I developed a rigid study routine. What is this doing? It’s manifesting the reality I have a burning desire to create. It tricks my mind into thinking this is something I already do regularly, and so, I do it! I wrote down that I do it, so I can’t just, not do it. Do this for everything you want in life and put them all together in what is called a goal card. Read your goal card out loud every morning and every night. Let it be a constant reminder of what you want in life. Let it remind you of your purpose. Let it push you to achieve your goals.
What To Do With Short(er) Term Goals
In regards to short term goals ie finishing a paper or completing a long reading assignment, apply the same concept. Make specific, short, practical goals with pressing time limits. While working on an essay, tell yourself it’s due at midnight. Because in reality, when there actually is a paper due at midnight, distractions manage to disappear and the grind elevates like crazy. Even the smallest task, throw it into a goal with a due date. The action of checking off what you’ve finished will motivate you to keep going, and you’ll soon notice how much you’ve managed to get done. You will eventually form a habit that will be hard to break, such as not procrastinating. Here’s a sample to do list:
1. Read biology pages 1-8, 45 minutes
2. Go through psychology chapter 1 Quizlet, 15 minutes
3. Respond to boss’ email, 5 minutes
4. Read biology pages 8-16, 45 minutes
4. Get in bed by 10:30pm
Note that I split up the biology reading into two separate goals over two different times. This tricks yourself into thinking you have less to do because you are separating them. See how I threw in the mere action of responding to an email in my to do list. Why? Because the idea of knowing I accomplished even the smallest task will motivate me to keep going! So get specific, get small, and get going. You got this.