Making Progress

"If you feel like it's difficult to change, you will probably have a harder time succeeding." - Andrea Jung

The path towards your goals and dreams isn't always smooth. Almost any aspect of your life can be disturbed as you pursue and accomplish essential and meaningful things. Deciding to start or end a serious relationship may result in gaining or losing friendships. Deciding to attend an out-of-state college may mean separating from family. Deciding to take on a new job may mean working with different people or even for a different company.  

The only way to prevent such disturbances to be to avoid ever taking a step forward and stay where you are. But who wants to stand in one place. Recognize that each time you step forward, you change the circumstances and mix things up. You cannot avoid these disturbances, but you can accept them, adjust if necessary and keep moving forward.

 

Realize that all change is accompanied by setbacks and uncomfortable situations. We all face fear and sometimes want to turn away and quit. But remember, every situation and challenge we are faced with is temporary. But having strength isn't always just with deciding to stay in that situation. Sometimes strength means having the courage to make the decision to fight back and change your destiny. Be strong.

It's easy to get stuck. We sense the struggle and feel like we aren't making the progress we want as we pursue our goals and dreams. Or feel like we are stuck when we are facing critical times in our lives. Far too often, then, we find ourselves at this critical moment, and we give in and give up. 

We need to adopt a progressive growth mindset. Focus on the progress and not the destination. Knowing that you are working through change and are progressing and growing along the way will help you experience the journey along the path to your goals. You should be evaluating yourself and looking to improve as you are progressing. 

Here are some tips to help you focus on your progress:

Live your life with a purpose and on purpose: Figure out your passion. What drives you? Attach a 'why' to your goals. This will give more meaning and feeling to accomplishing them and help get you through the setbacks and challenges along the way. Then, intentionally do things that feed into your purpose. Take your actions with purpose on purpose.

Set crystal clear goals: Start with the end in mind. What do you want to achieve and accomplish? Using the 'S.M.A.R.T.' method is a simple and efficient way to set them up. Goals should be:

• Specific - You need to be clear about what it is you are striving for. The clearer, the better. See it, feel it, and believe it. And, write your goals down! When you put your goals on paper, it helps you visualize them and set them in motion.
• Measurable - You need to be able to monitor your progress to be able to evaluate your progress. Where are you along the path? Are you finding success along the way or faced with challenges? You may need to change direction, readjust, or push harder.
• Achievable - You need to have goals that feed into your bigger dreams. Dream big. But break down your tasks into small 'bite-sized' achievable goals. You don't need to conquer the whole staircase at once; just take it one step at a time.
• Realistic - The goals should be realistic. If you have a goal to paint your house, realize you cannot do it by yourself, with a brush and one can of paint, in an hour. They should be challenging. They should stretch your imagination. They could be uncomfortable, and you may not even know 'how' you will achieve it. But it should be possible. 
• Time-bound - Attach a deadline on when you are pushing to reach your goal. This will give it a sense of urgency. Understand that deadlines will change, and that is ok. Think about when you know the due date of a bill. You are more likely to pay it on time. If you didn't know when it was due, you might forget to pay it.

Create good habits: When we create good habits, we set ourselves up for the best possible outcomes. Motivation will get you started, but habits will keep you going and stay with you even when you aren't as motivated. These can be simple things: Wake up early to make the most of your day. Start each day focused on gratitude and thankfulness. Review your goals, dreams, and tasks each morning. Intentionally create opportunities to make a positive difference or add value for others. Keep track and check things off along the way. Celebrate small wins. Learn something new. Look to improve one small thing daily. Take time to exercise and build inner strength. Take time to meditate and practice mindfulness and wind down at night. Plan for tomorrow. Get plenty of rest.

 

You may find that you have to change some things about yourself along your path. Find courage in letting go of the things you cannot change. Focus on what you can. Your thoughts, your beliefs, your emotions, your habits, and your actions. Progress is impossible without change. It is up to you to do this for yourself. The change will not come if we find ourselves constantly waiting for someone else to create it for us. The time is now. We need to become the change we wish to see in the world. What you choose to do today can and will improve your tomorrow.

Make today great!!

Curtis

"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." - Viktor Frankl