Everyday we make a goal and most of the time we successfully accomplish them. Specially the easy and simple ones. But why it seem difficult to achieve when we have a long-term or major goal.
Everyday goals like:
- Making Coffee
- Driving to office
- Grocery Shopping
- Cooking
- Cleaning
These everyday tasks are way easy to finish. However, when we make a long-term goals, we usually end up failing.
Long-term goals like:
- Weight loss
- Buying House
- Start a business
- Get early retirement
These Tasks are do different from everyday task. Still feels impossible. Have you ever wondered why we fail major and vital goals?
The answer is simple;
We don’t follow the same path meaning we don’t use the same formula. So how can we expect the same outcome. There is a pattern we follow unconsciously for short-term goals.
The formula is to make a goal and forget about it completely and don’t track it.
Let me explain;
When you make small goal like driving to office, you know you have to reach office by 09:00 and It is 5 kms away.
you never try and look for office building from the movement you start driving. Have you ever told this to yourself after getting in the car. ” Keep looking at the office building, remind yourself about your goal so you can reach faster” No one does that.
You don’t even think about it you don’t check progress in every 2 mins or so. you usually play a music or a radio or a news and focus on other important things like traffic and forgets about the goal because you know exactly what you are doing. You know the route and you know how to drive. You are confident about the steps we are taking. Because each and every step you took was calculated like you left the house on time and that is the reason that you don’t fail.
Imagine, if you keep tracking a progress continuously and try and look for office building from the beginning of your journey and keep saying ” That is my goal and I have to remind myself about it”.
I am sure you will not reach to the office that day because you are directly going to the hospital and might take some more people with you from traffic.
That’s why it is important to forget the goal after making it and focus on current traffic. We just need to follow the path and keep eye on traffic and we will not get into accident and mostly probably reach where we are headed to. We use this formula for every small task we do throughout the day but not for bigger task.
I know bigger goals can be overwhelming but there are ways you can make them realistic and manageable by using the above formula.
Let me explain;
When you do daily task you break them into small portions and focus on each at a time this is the only formula we use. Like when we clean house we divide it into sections and focus on each one individually.
Let apply this formula to long-term goals;
Next time when you make a goal divide it into 5 sections and further divide it into 5 subsections from each, now when you have 25 small subsections then give this each subsections a due date. Let say you can finish 1st subsection in 1 month give yourself 2 months and now divide it 50 equal parts this way you will have a bite size portions for everyday. Take finish one part every day take a break once a week and in 60 days your 1st subsection will be finished. Now you have 24 subsections left and you can treat yourself hitting one milestone.
Remember when you finish a daily portion of big goal; celebrate and only focus on today’s task and don’t worry about end product you will eventually get there soon or later if you keep walking the right path.
You will feel confident and the daily daily treat and monthly rewards will keep you motivated. And you will see that you are not only preparing for a huge change in your life but also enjoying the process without overwhelming yourself. You will enjoy your transformation journey exactly the same way you enjoy trip to hill station. You enjoy the journey and the stay too.
Its same like watering a plant and wait for it to grow, at start you might feel there is no progress but with time you will see drastic changes. You just have to hang in there until you see the 1st breakthrough.
No matter where you are and where you want to be. Use this formula and you will be there in no time. If you can think of it most probably you can do it. And I know you can do it, not because I want to motivate you. It is because you have survived everyday despite of what life gave you and didn’t give up yet and still have a courage to make a goals for betterment. It shows that you are a fighter and you will get through this too. So don’t worry just enjoy and follow the right path.
Forget about everything what you just read but remember to take a baby steps and don’t wait for bigger accomplishment for celebrating but enjoy every small victory.
Munazza Siddique 
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