Continuation from Article: There Are No Short Cuts
Part 2
Create an intention
Fulfilling your goals successfully begins with the strategy of identifying the intention of your goals. Having this knowledge is of paramount importance because it will help you to design an action plan to fulfill your goal and to keep you focused. Let’s say, for example, your high school reunion is in four months. Friends and former classmates whom you haven’t seen for many years will be at the reunion. You want to look better than you’ve ever looked and to achieve this goal you’re committed to doing a daily exercise routine.
To accomplish this goal, your first step would be to identify your intention for wanting to look amazing. Your intention could be any of the following:
- You want to look like a successful business owner
- You want to look as if you are in control of your life and have kept your weight under control
- You were teased mercilessly at school and want to look better than your former classmates – revenge body –
- You want to fit in and be accepted by your former classmates
- Other
Identifying your intention will help you to follow through with your action plans to accomplish our goals and it will also keep you focused. Therefore once you begin exercising consistently you’ll notice that within a couple of relatively a short period of time you’ve formed a habit and a daily routine towards your goal.
Create a compelling reason to follow through
How do you remain motivated and make yourself continue exercising? Although your intention is a vital first step. It is also important to create a compelling reason to follow through your intention. You need a reason that will force you to exercise every day; a reason that makes you feel as if you have no choice, and that your life depends on it. If necessary trick yourself into accomplishing your goal. For example, a belief that you must lose weight or your former classmates will laugh at you and not take you seriously. By creating a compelling reason you will force yourself to do what you intend to do. Think practically about what motivates you to accomplish your goal. This takes courage.
Ask others to hold you accountable
While some people can depend solely on their willpower to achieve their goals, studies after studies have shown that for many of us we need to be held accountable and by multiple people. Sharing your goals with a group or a person who will hold you accountable. This will cause pressure for you to follow through on your goal.
Create consequences for not following through
How many broken promises have you endured due to a lack of following through with your intended actions? To prevent this from happening, create the worst-case scenario for not following through. This worst case scenario will force you to follow through with your goals. For example, you could decide to announce your weight or measurements each week. Because this consequence is public it will force you to exercise and eat healthy food . On weeks where you haven’t lost weight, you would lose the privilege to exercise for one week. Or you would have to double your exercise time each day.
Make it impossible to not follow through
Create a situation that will force you to follow through. Purchase your expensive outfit for the reunion months in advance in the size you intend to be in four months. Plan your look down to the smallest detail, and book appointments with your stylists and makeup team in advance. This will force you to follow through with your intention
Many of us need help learning the skills to succeed in life. Although some of these steps seem drastic, it’s important to remember that there are no shortcuts to success, everything requires work. For each intention, you create, you should also apply these tips to help you achieve your goals. Most importantly, realize that success is within our reach if we are prepared to do the work.
Read Part 1 of this article here