How To Achieve Goals and Ultimate Success

THE DEFINITION OF SUCCESS

We can all agree; success feels good.  But what is Success?  Often, we want it, yet feel clueless as to how to reach it.  We associate success with CEO positions, luxury items, big, expensive houses, large bank accounts, and no debt.  We pursue material possessions because we think success is more.  But let’s stop for a second and reflect on what success truly means.

Personally speaking, I think the definition depends on who you ask because we all have different things, we are aiming towards at different points in time.  My definition of success may be completely different than yours.  To get straight to the point, the definition of success varies from person to person, and that’s ok.  Just because we are not CEOs making important decisions (and stressing about those decisions), or drive a Ferrari to the nearby Target, does not mean we are not successful.

Now, if one of your goals is to become the next CEO of Apple and you haven’t accomplished that goal than by the pure definition, you are not successful. You are not successful because you haven’t achieved a goal you set out for yourself.

Heck for all I know, you’ve already reached your definition of success. Maybe for you to feel successful, you needed to own a house before the age of thirty, or have a family or make $65,000 the previous year.  And if you bought your first house and that is all you needed to feel successful, then a Congratulations is in order.

My point is, define what success means to you.  How many accomplished goals is it going to take for you to feel successful this year?  One, five, seven? The answer is entirely up to you.

NEW YEAR NEW ME BS

New goals are quite common at the beginning of a New Year (NY). So common in fact that if you don’t have NY resolutions, you’re the odd one out. We are all far too familiar with New Year’s resolutions.  We take the time to write them out yet, every year we end up falling short of our list.

According to a Forbes Magazine article, only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s Resolutions.  Did you also know, 80% will fail by February?

These numbers are crushing! And sadly, discouraging.

But you know what I am talking about right?  Every year you promise to go to the gym five days a week so you can finally lose those extra twelve pounds you’ve been carrying around, to fit in your favorite pair of jeans. You even signed a monthly membership for $49/month (it was the New Year Special) at Fit Athletic Club two blocks away from your house. “This is going to be great,” you tell yourself in hopes to keep your enthusiasm high and ready to tackle this one thing you want so badly.  But every year is the same story.  You fall short of your goal, or you don’t see any quick progress and quit.  Then you judge yourself and you get mad at yourself for not doing what you think is best for you. Then you end up feeling incompetent (not good enough) for yourself and others; sadly, for many, the vicious self-loath cycle never ends.

THE TIME TO SET GOALS IS TODAY!

The thing is, we should be setting goals for ourselves every day. Whether it’s Monday, January first, Wednesday, March ninth, or Friday, November twenty-seventh.  The timing doesn’t matter.  What matters is that you start today. Today, and only today matters.

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

We plant the seeds of success in our mind. First, we must start with our mindset.  Mindset is how we cultivate the ground to make it fertile.

One of the main reasons why we don’t realize our goals is our self-talk.  Self-talk can build our confidence higher than the Empire State Building, or it can demolish us faster than lightning splits a tree.  Sometimes, we sabotage our success without even noticing.  That’s right.  Your negative self-talk is so deeply ingrained within your psyche that you don’t even see it. But even this profoundly ingrained habit can be broken with daily practice of Positive Thinking.

Although you may think that I am full of caca (Spanish for sh*t), I challenge you to revamp your thinking. Start small. Tell yourself one positive thing every day for three months or however long you think is best.  Then, add another positive thing.  And then another.  Rewire your brain to think differently.  Practice daily, and I promise you, a transformation will soon knock on your door.

THE POWER OF A PLANTED SEED

Once you’ve cultivated a fertile ground to plant seeds in, you can tackle any plan or goal you set your mind to achieving.

Setting a plan in action is change, and change forces us to grow. But we all know change is difficult, challenging, and downright scary.  And I am telling you, it’s ok to be scared and uncomfortable.  Don’t get discouraged. Trust the process and most importantly, trust yourself! Often, we find growth, success and a different kind of strength, when we push ourselves beyond our comfort zones.  Trust me; uncomfortable is my middle name. I’ve lived in three countries; I know what uncomfortable is.

The steps below will help get you on the road to success.  And the only reason why I am so confident these steps will work is, they are the same steps I’ve taken to accomplish goals I’ve set out for myself.

Record each accomplishment and keep track of your progress.  Go ahead and write your goals down because when you get to cross them off your list, the feelings of accomplishment and happiness will be through the roof.

To summarize, define your meaning of success first. Second, get your mind right boo-boo! Mmhmm, you heard me right.  You’re going to have to be strong to tell those darn cute cupcakes “not today” and move on with your day.  Once you set your house in order, meaning you, then you can proceed with the steps below.

And for those of you who are thinking, “You know what Abril, I am just going to get these goals going. I don’t need to get my house in order.  I am good.”  More power to you.  But, from experience, I can tell you there is a higher success rate when you go over your definition of success and how you’re talking to yourself before starting your goals journey.

1. Write down the top goals that come to mind. No particular order.
   • Write specific details.
   • What exact exactly do you want to accomplish?
   • Examples: Lose 10 lbs in 8 weeks, Pay off that Visa credit card, Wake up at 5:30 AM, etc.
2. Narrow the list down to three.
   • But why? You have so much you want to accomplish. You’re more likely to succeed if you concentrate on a smaller amount of goals.  Don’t overwhelm yourself.  It’s ok to dedicate a real amount of effort to a few goals, for now.
3. Find your Reason!
   • What’s your gas? What fuels you?
   • Ask yourself, why do I want to accomplish this specific goal?
   • Why is it important to me?
4. Be conscious of your triggers.
   • Figure out what helps you stick to a particular goal.
   • For example:  What helps you make healthier food choices?  What triggers you to eat unhealthily? Is it stress, time or your schedule?
   • Adjust accordingly. If you’re conscious of what triggers bad choices, you’re more likely to recognize what is keeping you off track. Vice versa with good decisions.
5. Have a plan.
   • Write down how you want to tackle each goal. (This should help you with this step.)
   • If your goal is to lose 10 pounds in 8 weeks, then figure out how to burn more calories on a daily basis. Find creative ways get rid of the weight.  Maybe get more active during your lunch breaks at work or start eating healthier meals.
   • Find a gym program or active sport that fits into your daily routine, and find time to cook healthy meals and prepare snacks.
6. Support.
   • Don’t do it alone. Having a friend along the way to hold you accountable is essential.
   • Habits are hard to break. If you have support from someone who wants to achieve the same goal, you’re more likely to stick to the plan.
   • A friend who understands what you’re going through is excellent moral support.
7. Be kind to yourself!
   • Recognize your progress.
   • You’re only one person. Do your best, and that’s all you can ask!
   • If you wake up early seven days in a row, celebrate it.  Heck, hug yourself! That is a win. Celebrate any success, big or small, because it is still a change for the better.

HARD WORK ALWAYS PAYS OFF

Putting your plan into action, daily, is going to take hard work and dedication. I am not going to sugar coat it. There will be days when you are full of energy and motivation to tackle the day.  Tasks will seem light and less tedious. Other days, you’ll be exhausted from running around like a crazy person (trying to balance work, kids, bills, laundry, and dinner) that no amount of caffeine can fix the fatigue creeping over your body and weighing you down like a ton of bricks. The next morning, you’ll be so tempted to put those goals on hold. Thinking, “Well, I’ll start tomorrow.”  You even consider quitting altogether. The truth is, you are never going to feel like it.  The day when a miracle comes and you decide to get your act together does not exist.  You’re not going to wake up feeling like adulting one day and your life is going to click.  It doesn’t work that way.

On days where life is weighing you down, it’s good practice to remember why you started.  Think about your “Why.”  I’d say something deep inside of you wants to change and that is why you started the plan.

Know that you can achieve anything you set your will to, but it is indeed all up to you!  If you quit, you’re only letting yourself down. If you do what you’ve always done, then you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. If it were easy, everyone would do it.

So, I leave you with this. Today is the perfect day to set goals. Not tomorrow, not next month and not the following year. Today! Today is a good day to start making positive changes in your life that will catapult you to be the best version of yourself. Only you have the power to make your life successful.

So what are you waiting for? Get ready? Set. Goals!

Thank you so much for reading!

With love and gratitude,