Getting Unstuck & Getting It Done This Year
Meredith Leigh Moore
I help you get Unstuck in your career ?? Leadership Coach & Strategic Communications Advisor ??
There are only six months left until 2020, how are your new year's resolutions looking? I'm familiar with the fight to finish a goal. I've spent the better part of this year traveling across the country promoting my book, Getting Unstuck: A Guide to Moving Your Career Forward and discussing what it takes to be successful inside and outside of corporate America.
The process of writing Getting Unstuck inspired me to take action, and it taught me how to enjoy the journey to achieving goals. We've all felt the pain of announcing a commitment to 4 am workouts or giving up social media only to have to answer dreaded questions about our lack of progress weeks later. Maybe you underestimated the difficulty level or how much time is required to complete the task, whatever your reason, don't give up.
Whether you want to publish your book, go for a big promotion, or lose 20 pounds, you deserve to finish what you start. Research says that you have a better chance of finishing if you avoid overwhelming yourself by setting no more than three goals at a time. Your first step is likely prioritizing precisely what you want to accomplish in the next six months. When you are select your goals and are ready to finish what you start, these strategies are for you:
1. Set an uplifting vision. Imagine how incredible you will feel when you are done. Envision receiving the reward for all of your work and get specific about all the benefits of finishing like a sense of accomplishment and increased confidence.
2. Be consistent. We are what we repeatedly do. Showing up every day to work towards your goal can feel mundane and even hopeless. Remind yourself that each step is moving you closer to eventually reaching the finish line.
3. Track your progress. Congratulate yourself for what you've already completed. Each task is one less than you have to do to finish. Make a list and enjoy checking off items. When you can see the impact of your hard work, you'll get another burst of motivation to keep going.
4. Stay positive. Whenever possible, make it fun. Enjoying what you are doing makes it easier to overcome obstacles. Being optimistic is a choice, so take advantage of it. If you don't believe in yourself, who will?
5. Be honest and realistic. If you didn't start speaking Mandarin at a young age and practiced for several thousand hours already, it's unlikely you'll be fluent by December, but hey, prove me wrong! In my experience, the older we get, the more of our time we lose to other responsibilities leaving less time to focus on our goal each day. If you know you only have 30 minutes about five days a week, set a reasonable goal that won't require more than you have to give.
- As a recovering perfectionist myself, I want to encourage you to get comfortable with finishing not being flawless. Quitting will be your only option if you aren't willing to evolve your vision for your goal and success.
6. Be clear about what it takes to finish. If it were easy, everyone would do it. We've all had the experience of thinking we know how long we will spend to complete a particular task, only to find it takes much longer. You are only paranoid until something happens. Keep in mind the possible obstacles when you are considering how much time you'll need, it's better to over-estimate.
7. Be impeccable with your word. World champions are different from the average athlete because they understand how to compete against themselves and push past discomfort to improve continuously. Learning to set your mind to achievement and follow-through is a life-changing skill and part of your character. Staying conscious of what you want to do and why you want to do it, and then vowing to finish, will serve as motivation to help you move forward. Promise yourself you'll persist until you prevail. Then do it.
8. Evolve. You set the goal, and you can change the target. It's normal to decide to adjust your end goal. After all, situations and people change. Life happens. Mainly if you are working towards a long-term project and purpose, stay focused on how you feel so that you'll know when it's time to make alterations. Tracking in a journal how you perceive your progress, practical solutions, and lessons learned can be a useful tool in the future.
- Don't worry if your goal changes. You are the expert of you. It's always acceptable to reflect on the purpose, make adjustments, as long as you keep moving forward.
9. Baby steps. Detailing out what is required can provide another opportunity to reward yourself by breaking down your goals. Congratulate yourself for achieving your mini-goals to keep your morale and momentum up.
- One of your goals might be to lose 20 pounds. For some, that might seem like a lot, but if you set a weekly goal of 1-2 pounds, it's achievable by New Year's Day. When your goal will take a few months of consistent efforts, make a list of innovative rewards like getting a manicure or going for a walk with friends to continue your excitement when you achieve mini-milestone.
- Use your bullet journal to set goals on consistent good habits like drinking water, moving for 30 minutes, and eating mostly unprocessed foods. Even if you don't achieve your weekly weight goal, you can reward when you choose better habits too!
- Pro tip: Each time you take a step forward- remember to think twice. First, celebrate at the moment and give yourself credit, second, challenge yourself to another mini-goal like losing the next 2 pounds.
- Like to play games? Try setting mini-goals in your fitness tracking app to compete against friends, give yourself increasing rewards, and ensure you continue and are consistent until the task's end.
10. Start small, aim big. Finishing is a lifestyle. Make it a habit to do your hardest tasks first and gain momentum by completing chores like making your bed, doing the dishes, and paying your bills.
What will happen when you become the type of person who finishes what you start? Resilience and grit are two of the most valuable skills of successful people. Learning how to show up, notice your progress, and motivate yourself to keep going will open doors to taking on even bigger goals year after year. Each time you'll get better at guessing how long things will take and how to be realistic within the framework of your life. Refuse to quit and allow your vision to evolve as needed.
Knowing is half the battle. You may benefit from working with a leadership coach to remind you to hold yourself accountable and celebrate your progress toward your goal. Sign up for a goal-setting session with me, and I'll explain how a career coach can be a confidential part of your team. You've got this! Your persistence will pay off! As a business owner, mother, and coach of high achievers, I understand the unique challenge of balancing doing your best and doing it all. My clients enjoy having the space to explore what they want most from their life and getting weekly support to take action. Six months will fly by, what will you celebrate on New Year's eve?
Was this article helpful? For more resources like this one, check out my website on success and finding your purpose in life. Getting Unstuck: A Guide to Moving Your Career Forward tells the story of how one woman found the time and energy to overcome the battle for advancement in corporate America. To learn more about working with me, visit Gettingunstuckguide.com/coaching
What project or goal have you started on, but are having challenges with finishing?