You have probably read 100 goal setting advice articles, and probably take one small nugget away with each one, file it away, and never ever put any of it to work in your daily life. You can’t really get motivated until you understand why you’re not motivated, and why you’re not working toward any meaningful goals. You also need to understand what goals you want to be working toward. Lastly, Rome was not built in a day. Setting a goal to become Microsoft’s CFO in twelve months is not a manageable goal to start with when you’re not feeling motivated, particularly inspired, or if you’re feeling underwhelmed with life right now. Even the best goal setters can fall off course and let de-motivation strike. So let us help you get on the path to setting your next goal, and crushing it.
Figure out what’s de-motivating you
Fear. It’s one of the scariest, most powerful four letter words you’ll ever encounter. And, it’s at the heart of what de-motivates most people. Fear can sometimes cause us to slow down, be hesitant, and take pause, which can be really beneficial, except when it leads to paralysis. If you feel like you’re being more than just cautious, how do you get moving again? Analyze what’s making you afraid. Are you afraid of failure? Are you afraid of success? Are you afraid of the unknown? Or have you recently made a huge mistake at work, and you’re afraid that’s the only thing people will be talking about? Whatever is driving your fear, determine how realistic any of your feared outcomes are. One way to deal with the outcome of your analysis is to practice mindfulness. Why mindfulness?
According to researchers from the University of Rochester, mindfulness is simply an enhanced attention to and awareness of current experience or present reality. The potential positive outcome of practicing mindfulness? Less stress and a more stable emotional state are just two of the benefits.
How do you become more mindful in your everyday life?
Try to practice “reperceiving,” the idea that you can reframe how you evaluate experiences to view them as an external witness from an objective stance. Each day, try to take a few moments to step back and witness your life for what it is, focusing on the big picture rather than the minute details of every-day life.
Avoid Multitasking. “Concentration is a cornerstone of mindfulness practice. Your mindfulness will only be as robust as the capacity of your mind to be calm and stable. Without calmness, the mirror of mindfulness will have an agitated and choppy surface and will not be able to reflect things with any accuracy,” says Jon Kabat-Zinn, founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Are you setting the right goals?
You might think you know what you want, but it’s not really what you want. Or quite possibly, you’ve had someone who has played a central role in your life that has told you or provided you an example of what you think you want out of your life. They might have given you some breadcrumbs, or laid out the whole plan for you. But remember, no matter how much you admire this person, their story might not be the one you’re meant to experience. Good advice is sometimes just that, and you should take a minute to determine if the goals you’re setting are actually yours.
Start small.
Again, pledging to be CFO of Microsoft next year isn’t where you want to start when you’re starting your goal setting journey. Instead, pick something that feels kind of manageable, kind of unattainable, but not unrealistic. Then, get yourself a calendar. Yes, get an old school paper calendar. Mark each day with a giant red “x” to denote the fact that you met your goal that day. It not only acts as a visual representation of success, but also your ability to tackle a goal on a daily basis that leads to a weekly goal, and ultimately reaching your whole goal.
Don’t let this goal setting advice follow the same path as the other goal setting articles you’ve read. Figure out what’s de-motivating you, take steps to being more mindful in your life each day, and commit to meeting one small goal to work toward this month, or this year. It doesn’t have to be anything that is a major life change, but it should be something small that will feel life changing when you set your mind to something and achieve it.