The Secret to Achieving Your Goals

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The Secret to Achieving Your Goals

>> SMART goals are a bore
>> Focus on a 1% improvement every day

I love an “aha- Eureka moment” and I’m excited to share this one with you!
A quick reflection: When last did you set a goal and how successful were you at achieving it?

In my experience, goal setting can sometimes be a game of hit and miss, you win some and lose some. And this includes goals that check off on being Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound (S-M-A-R-T).

Typically, we set goals with a focus on an end result- what we want to achieve, and shape shift our way into it. The pitfall lies in the potential disconnect between what we believe about ourselves and our goal. Behaviour that is incongruent with the self is destined to fail.

In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear illustrates the relationship between our personal identity, the systems we set up and the results we achieve. He suggests that we focus more on our sense of self or who we want to be and build habits that support this identity. For example, the goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner, the goal is not to write a book but become a writer.

Clear offers a simple 2 step process for building good habits:
1. Decide the type of person you want to be. What are your values, what do you stand for?
2. Prove it to yourself with small wins. Take action.

If having an idea of what you want to achieve comes more easily to you- great, then just reverse engineer the process and ask the question: Who is the type of person that achieves these results. For example, if it’s to write a book, then it’s likely to be the type of person who is creative, disciplined, and persistent. Become the writer- journal, play with words, post an article, or draft a story outline. Start doing the things that this type of person does and you’ll soon have the evidence to back yourself.

Rule of thumb: focus on a 1% improvement every day and over the course of time you’ll look back and celebrate the distance you’ve come!

Quotes to inspire:

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

“Habits are the compound interest of self- improvement."

James Clear, Atomic Habits, 2018

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Best wishes,
Belinda

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