Achieve Goals With This 10-Minute Weekly Habit

​Congratulations you wrote your goals down! You did do that right? Double applause if you devised a plan of how to accomplish those goals. Now what?

1. Take a step or two and then review where you are.
2. Take further action and then analyze what is working.
3. Mess up, then pause, and reconnect to why you are doing this in the first place.
4. Take another step.

Build in a Systematic Review Process
​It is this systematic process of habitually appraising your journey as you move towards your goal that will make you successful. Furthermore, this grittiness, being determined despite adversity, is how you become a strong woman and a strong leader.
 
I am an avid advocate of positive thinking. I know emphatically the quality of your thoughts is completely correlated to the quality of your life. However, I also know that positive thinking alone does not equal success.  You actually have to do something!
 
Review Your Strategy for Achieving Your Goals
The actions you take and the way you take those actions on your journey to achieve your goals makes a difference. This is the hard part. In truth, many of those activities aren’t going to be easy, enjoyable or engaging. That is precisely why many people don’t achieve their goals. The minute it gets arduous or they come up against a barrier, they stop.
 
Adversity Strengthens You
Here is the thing, though….you NEED those roadblocks! The difficult parts are the essential parts. It is by going through the struggle that we learn. It is during the challenges that we grow.  The process of getting through the trying segments of the journey are prerequisites to reaching the goal. The grittier you are, the more effective you will be.

​The truth is:

• You need to learn something...
• You must increase skills in some area...
• You are required to come to a new awareness…

in order for you to get to the next step.
This is the portion that many of us resist.  If you let it, it is also the part that will keep you stuck and unhappy.

Your Plan Keeps You Moving
​To keep moving forward when challenges hit, you must have a plan, a plan that includes recognizing roadblock and what you will do to get over them. That plan, strategy or blueprint might incorporate coursework; you could include tactics that include the building of support networks, or your approach might integrate the practice of learning to manage your thoughts and actions. I strongly suggest that your plan is multifaceted because let’s be honest ladies…we are a bit complex. Therefore, we need a plan that will address all of our intricacies.
 
But You Must Keep Reviewing Your Plan
Once you have your strategy in place, you need to review that plan on a regular basis. That way when you hit those roadblocks, feel overwhelmed and want to quit, reconnect to your strategies to get you over the hump. Your plan will remind you of what you can do if you are feeling overwhelmed, confused, apprehensive or stuck.
 
Make the Review Time Effective
You need to install a habit of reviewing your goals. The following steps will give you a process for your weekly review of your goals and your strategic plan to achieve those goals.

Weekly Review Process
​Each week, set aside 10 to 30 minutes to review your goals and the plan you have for achieving them. During this time create the habit of doing the following:

1. Write out your goals
Don’t just read them over. Actually rewrite them. This creates new pathways in your mind that activate the desire to achieve your goals. It keeps them alive and real.

2. Visualize achieving your goals
Close your eyes and imagine what it will be like when you reach your goal. Connect emotionally and viscerally to it. Feel the excitement, pride, and sense of accomplishment. Let your tummy get jumbly, your heart swells and your eyes water.

3. Identify the overarching steps to take to achieve your goals
Remind yourself of the overall steps you identified in your strategic plan that you need to take in order for you to achieve your goal.

4. Visualize yourself moving through the steps
Close your eyes and see yourself navigating through the steps you need to get to goal attainment. As you do, notice challenges that pop up along the way and envision yourself overcoming them. As you see yourself moving towards your goal, notice what it takes for you to make progress through the difficult times. Perhaps it is your determination, increased patience or ongoing persistence.

5. Identify the one next step you need to take
Each week, as you review your plan, identify what you need to work on this week to keep moving towards that goal. Write that action step down. Then, schedule it in your day timer and commit to doing it.

Goals --> Plan --> Take ACTION
Believe you can. Set goals. Plan how to achieve those goals. Take actions steps forward. Fall down. Get up. Dust yourself off. Begin again where you left off. This is how you become a successful gritty woman!

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Kathy is a leadership coach for women who want to strengthen their leadership & find balance in life. 
She mentors women as they rediscover their purpose, passion, and persistence for life while dealing with office politics, jerk bosses and the challenges of family life. Kathy gives her ladies the hope and inspiration they need along with a kick in the pants to make positive changes in their lives. ​​​​​​​

Discover more in Kathy’s book Mastering Confidence: Discover Your Leadership Potential by Awakening Your Inner Guidance System ​​​​​​​