If you are like others around the new year, you are steadily working on your new goal. Perhaps, things are still going great for you. You know your goal. You are working on your most important thing for the year. And, you scheduled all your actionable steps on your calendar.
Better yet, you are actually taking and doing some of those actionable steps that you put on your calendar. If that’s you right now, congratulations! Your new year is off to a great start.
But, if you find yourself struggling to take action on your goals then you don’t want to miss the five (5) things I’m going to talk about that get in the way of achieving our goals.
Even if you are off to a great start, here’s the thing for you rocket starters out there – you will eventually get stuck. You will meet a roadblock. It’s not if, but it’s a matter of when it will happen.
Let’s dive right into the five (5) things that get in the way of achieving your goals.
If you are fired up and charged each day working on your most important thing of the new year, then you may also want to take a peak at what these five (5) things are that will at some point get in your way. I know you like to stay a head of the game!
- Too Much, Too Soon
In December, I wrote about focusing on the most important thing. I really want you to get ahead in your life. However, doing too much, too soon can give you a big setback. It has the power to crush your dream. If you take on too many goals and divert your energy in all the places, you will get tired. You will get exhausted. You will also get stressed and frustrated. When that happens, nothing gets done. Then the get-nothing-done-start-all-over-again cycle continues. Stop wasting your time. Your life is precious. Do it right by focusing on the most important thing. It’s ok to have multiple goals, but crush one of them at a time!
- Distraction
We live in the age of distraction. Let me tell you a secret – the age of distraction is not going away. Dings, pop-ups, updates, and the swirl of technology and artificial intelligence is here. It’s growing. Distraction is here to stay. It wants a front row ticket in your mind. Your job is to kick it to the back of the theater. It’s even better if you can kick it completely outside. You must have a mindfulness and mindset practice. It’s not some cool hippie-chic fad. It’s a requirement to stay ahead. Find a teacher and a practice that works for you. Do it every day. For real. I’m not kidding. Every day. Your mind and your heart will thank me later. And, that goal you want to achieve will happen.
- Lack of a Framework
Here’s the bittersweet truth. You can’t accomplish your goal without a structure. You may get by on random coincidence and luck sometimes, but it’s not going to last. You will fail. In order to succeed in achieving your most important thing of the new year, you have to have a structure. It’s called a plan. You must plan your goal steps out. For each goal you have, there’s going to be quite a few steps to take. Then, you have to put them on a calendar. For my “go with the flow” peeps, I love your energy and, take a little bit of mine here – structure will help you flow more in reaching your most important thing.
- Lack of Intention
Having no intention in your life is like driving your car to a destination without directions. You will get lost. I don’t want you to get lost. So, listen to this important direction. You can take it anywhere you are going. It’s that versatile.
Let me explain what I mean by intention first. Intention is the “purpose or attitude toward the effect of one’s actions or conduct”. So, in layman’s speak, it’s the attitude you bring towards your goal. Are you excited about? Like really excited about it? Or are you pretending to like it? Get clear on the energy (your attitude) that you are bringing to your goal. Then simplify it with 1-3 words. They can be anything!
Here are some of my fave words (I use them quite often): Focus, Action, and Connection. I say them silently to myself, “I am focus, action, and connection.” Then when I go do my thing, my most important goal of the new year, my brain and heart are primed to create exactly that. Totally legit science. Research it. You will see I speak the yoda truth here.
- Toxic Relationships
This one might be the most insidious one of them all. If you are around people that constantly bring you down, guess what? They are going to bring your goal down, too. Toxic people drain your energy. They are energy suckers. How do you know if you are around a toxic person? They are constantly being negative, criticizing, or only focused on their ego trip.
The tricky part is that some of these people disguise their toxicity with inauthentic kindness. You will need some self-awareness to spot these energy vamps. It appears that they want to contribute to you and your world, but if you pay close attention, the conversation always goes back to them and how things aren’t right in their world. The light is pretty dim there. They are constantly competing for you attention on drama instead of cool stuff that actually matters.
Be careful who you spend your time with. It matters to your emotional health, physical health, and to the energy you have to make your most important goal to come to life.
If you spot yourself in any of these five (5) categories, get yourself out immediately. You will succeed on your most important goal of the new year by keeping yourself out of these goal-achieving traps. If you are in a goal-achieving trap now, run now. Run as fast away as you can from the trap. It will zap you and your goal.
What You Can Do Now
I want you to succeed in achieving your most important goal of the new year. Your work matters. Every bit of it absolutely matters. How do you succeed? Stay out of these traps. Do the opposite. Be intentional. Have a healthy support network. Practice mindfulness. Stay focused. Do them all. If you do, I promise you will make some huge strides in accomplishing your most important goal.
And, because I want you so badly to go spread your joy and gifts to the world, I am including a link => here for the art card and => here for the affirmation card to my “Paint Your Mark” affirmation + art card from my Today’s Gonna Be Awesomesauce: affirmation + art card deck for youth, parents, and educators. If you aren’t one of those people I just listed, it’s ok, calm down, it still works. I promise. I use them every day on my desk. It will help you not get distracted. It will help you refine your mindfulness and growth mindset skills. It will help you grow confidence. It will help you stay focused and inspired.
It’s totally FREE guys! You have nothing to lose. Plus, they are super cute. I love the colors and, the words, the affirmations, are powerful. But you have to use it. You have to say the words every day. They will help you succeed in achieving your most important goal and kick the 5 (five) things that get in your way of making your goal happen to the curb once and for all! Download the card to your phone or computer. Print it out. Just promise me that you will use it so you can reach your goal. We need you doing your best!
Have fun, “Paint[ing] your mark everywhere you go.”
XO ~
