Five Ways to Achieve Your Goals

Note:  This is a guest post by Ronnie Brown from http://ronniebrownlifesystems.com/

Notice I didn’t name this article “Five Simple Ways to Achieve Your Goals.” I chose not to use the word simple for a specific reason. I don’t want to disillusion anyone as to the process of personal development and goal achievement. It’s not necessarily simple, no matter what route you take. But I can guarantee you meet with success if you apply the five methods I’m going to share with you today.

Achieving goals is not always an easy thing to do, per se, otherwise the millions who make New Year’s resolutions this time every January wouldn’t start working towards a goal only to stop dead in their tracks two weeks later, letting yet another year slip through their fingers. As the saying goes, if it were easy everyone would be doing it. But what is easy, is usually unfulfilling. Any goal we may aspire to, is also worth the effort it takes to achieve it.

Likewise, I’m not going to tell you that you can’t achieve your goals because they’re too hard and you may not have what it takes. That simply isn’t the case. The irrefutable truth about setting and achieving goals is simply this: you can and you will, if you do all the right things consistently.

Far too many people waste New Year’s Day resolving to change this or to change that in their life, to lose weight and feel great, to kick bad habits to the curb… the list goes on and on. Yet we’re told by statisticians that the vast majority will kick their resolutions to the curb instead of the bad habits they wish to cease, less than a month after making them. Why is this?

With the advent of the New Year, comes the idea of starting over from a clean slate. Motivation and a sense of hopefulness is what we feel when we think of a second chance or a new beginning. But motivation is temporary and therein lays the problem.

You see, we generally only act when we are motivated, or rather when we feel motivated and we feel like taking action. The deeper issue here is how we feel from one day to the next generally varies to such a great degree that we lose the feeling of motivation not too long after we get it. Thus we end up getting caught in a cycle of feeling unmotivated, eventually falling back into the same patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that lead us to our unfulfilled disposition the first place. Our “resolution” no longer motivates us or elicits hope.

Why is it so hard to get motivated, stay motivated, to really take control of life, to make changes and achieve our goals once and for all?

Because every single one of us is an emotional human being. Being emotional, we tend only to act based on how we feel. If I don’t feel like getting up and going to the gym in the morning, I’m probably not going to go. Why? Because I don’t feel like it. You see, feelings are the determining factor here and instead of using my God-given gifts of free will and self-awareness, I’m allowing my feelings and emotions to automatically govern my choices for me. It’s like being on auto-pilot emotionally and irrationally.

What you feel like from day-to-day, moment-to-moment ultimately determines and governs your choices and behavior. I implore you to take a moment to reflect on this.

But what if there were a definite way to feel motivated all the time? What if there were a definite way to feel like taking bold action every single day so you could finally achieve your heart’s desires and be able to stand proud knowing you do have what it takes? I’m here to tell you there is such a definite method for getting and staying motivated. There is a better way to live than feeling like you have to fight your emotions every single day.

There is an expression that says, “Motion beats meditation,” which basically means acting on something is better than dwelling on the idea of it and not doing anything about it. I believe this is self-evident. What may not be self-evident is an insight I share with people I coach, which is “Motion beats motivation.” What this means is that taking action is more important than feeling motivated in order to take action. When you do take action despite how you feel, you find that motivation, confidence, and achievement always follow as you begin to rack up one victory – one success – after the next.

The most powerful progress you will make in achieving your goals comes as a direct result of acting consistently, whether you feel like it or not, whether you feel motivated or not. Hence, motivation perpetuates and becomes a new, positive habit.

Trust me I know this is a lot easier said than done! I lived it for years, acting on inspired ideas only when I felt motivated, but always eventually succumbing to the “I don’t feel like it” syndrome once again, (a name I gave to the experience of feeling motivated enough to do something one day, but not the next, a force that seems to plague us all.) But I finally “snapped” out of it when I had the sudden epiphany that if I act only when I feel like it – if I allow my moods and emotions to govern my life – I will never achieve my goals. I knew that my life would be at the whim of my feelings, which seemed to change with the ebb-and-flow of each passing day.

So what are some definite, guaranteed steps one may take in achieving their goals?

Following is a list I work from to teach my students and friends how to achieve goals with certainty:

1. Believe in YOU

We tend to seek our validation and potential from others, desiring for everyone to notice us, believe in us, and have confidence in our potential. But none of that matters if we don’t have that same belief and confidence in our self; if we don’t notice we are already more than enough to do anything we endeavor to do. Never seek validation from others. They can only reinforce and reaffirm what you already decide to accept about your true value and worth. Only you can achieve a goal, therefore faith in your capacity to do so must be yours.

2. Master your emotions.

This means to be the one in control and authority of your feelings and mood. Master the way you feel so you never fall victim to the “I don’t feel like it” or the “I’m not in the mood” syndrome like the vast majority does.  Don’t be average.  Don’t be a victim of your wavering mood and emotions.  Be victorious over them.  You do NOT have to live in medicority.

3. Eliminate limiting beliefs.

Strip yourself of negative, limiting, restricting beliefs. Observe your life and notice what beliefs and thoughts you have that do not serve you, then destroy them. Get rid of what doesn’t work for you; embrace what does. Limiting beliefs are like a straight-jacket on your potential. Change your beliefs, change your life. 

4. Transform your self from the inside out

and create the world around you by conquering fear and defeating your personal demons. Everyone is afflicted by the shadows and demons of fear and self-doubt. No one is exempt. We all possess an equally powerful capacity to overcome these shadows of our lower self. Your life does not have to be a roller-coaster of emotions. You do not have to live feeling like you’re taking one step forward, only to take three steps back. Success is an inside job.  Conquer your fears. 

5. Think accurately and optimistically about your life and goals.

Seek out the guidance of a mentor or coach. Surround yourself with others who encourage you and are also of like mind. Learn to speak positively and powerfully about your self-worth and potential because your words create your reality. Act boldly without procrastination, hesitation or fear. Action produces genius, magic, and power. Develop the courage of a brave warrior, and live your life accordingly.

Do you really want to achieve your goals?

Believe in YOU. Master your emotions. Eliminate limiting beliefs. Transform your self first, then the world around you. Be optimistic, speak empowering words in all you do, and act boldly in the face of fear and uncertainty. Seek guidance from others who have been there and achieved what you wish to achieve. Tap your potential. Never underestimate the pivotal role these things play in your life.

Do these steps sound easy for you? Or does it sound like more than you can handle? Ultimately, that depends on your perspective. But I can tell you this much from personal experience: it’s a lot easier to give these things a little daily attention and effort than it is to continue living a life that is unfulfilling.

Make 2012 your year for reaching new heights and achieving your heart’s desires.

Have a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year!

Ronnie Brown is the creator and author of The Power of Positive Speaking, a course on achieving emotional mastery and conscious growth through a positive, profound system of self-talk and linguistic skills. Visit him at http://ronniebrownlifesystems.com/.

Do you know that only 3% of the world’s population manage to plan and reach their goals? The main goal for 2achieveyourgoals.com is to help you become from the top 3% of the world’s population who know how to achieve any goal they desire in all areas of life. ”The ultimate guide to achieve your goals” was released to help you achieve everything your heart desires. To check 2achieveyourgoals.com books, click here

For more information, read:

How to reach your goals?

Power of positive thinking

How to control your emotions and overcome negative thoughts?