We all seem to want similar things; we want good jobs, great relationships, to be in shape. Many of us work toward these goals, but a common issue is that we eventually give up. Which makes sense! Life is busy, and we don’t always have time to work those extra hours, do meal prep, and still find time to go for coffee with a friend. We want it all, but we can only do so much, and we really only want to do so much. This is a guide to a mindset that will keep you motivated to achieve your goals.
Prioritizing:
The first thing we need to do is prioritize. Understand that we, as individuals, can only do so much. We have limits! We often try to take on too much, spread ourselves too thin, and instead of achieving one goal at a time, we often only get halfway through all of them. So, figure out which goals are most important to you, even list them by importance! Then work down the list, one at a time. This way, it’s easier to focus on actually completing them before jumping to another task. It’s way less stressful and more effective.
Reasoning:
We also need to think about why we want to accomplish something and be sure that we are doing things for the right reasons. For example, if you want to work out in order to “get skinny” to impress someone else, this is not a healthy goal; sometimes physically and mostly mentally. If you choose to work out in order to improve your physical health and for your own well-being, then this is a healthy and reasonable goal. The goals that we set should be practical to accomplish, and we need to assess why we want to complete them. Never set a goal for someone else because you are the only person that you need to impress!
Have an end goal, or “see the bigger picture”:
Often in job interviews or icebreaker exercises we are asked, “where do you see yourself in ten years?”. This can be a daunting question, and oftentimes we’re not quite sure how to answer that yet. I mean, most of us are just trying to get through today. But there can be some merit to this question; use it to your advantage. Think about what you can see yourself doing in ten years. According to your values, interests, ambitions, what does your life look like? It doesn’t have to be totally clear, but even if you have some idea of the direction you want to head in, you then have a goal to work toward. This way you can start looking into what steps you need to take, and your path my change from there. The idea is that you have some idea of what you would like to end up doing because some students may feel lost at times. Having direction is a huge part of staying motivated.
Overall, remember that you are only one person, and prioritize your goals in order to avoid feeling overwhelmed and giving up. Always set goals that are healthy and reasonable, as they will seem way more achievable. Finally, have a “grand scheme” goal to work towards so that if you start to feel lost along the way, you always have something to guide you.