3 Tools to Achieve Your Goals

We’re a few days into the new year and whether you’ve chosen to have “one word” as your goal this year or you’ve set health, fitness, faith, community, or good habit goals, I wanted to share 3 “must have” tools to help you stick to your resolutions. The sad truth is, 70% of people who start a fitness program give up, and I have a feeling that number is probably true for other goals as well.

Let’s make 2016 the year we do things differently, ok? Let’s be the 30% who stick with our plans and follow where God is leading us with our whole hearts. It’s not going to be easy, and there will be days where you feel like giving up, but can we commit this year to deciding to embrace that it’s not the easy things that will bring the greatest change, but the challenges?

The challenges will be worth it. But there are a few tools that might help you on those hard days that have helped me keep going for the last year. Whether you want to stick to a Bible reading plan, workout, eat clean, build community, shop less, give more, or {insert your goal here} these will help!

Find Your Why

I talk about this a lot when it comes to fitness, but it can apply to any goal. Think about why you chose your goal, your “one word,” or your resolution and write it down. At the heart of it, why do you really want to do what it is you’re trying to do? Spend time in prayer asking God to give you a vision for His purpose for this year – what He wants to do through you and in you through this goal. Write down your “why” and keep it somewhere you can see it, as a reminder on the days when you aren’t sure you want to keep going.

Accountability is Key

I believe strongly that we were not created to do life alone. But often our goals at the beginning of the year feel isolated and lonely. Other people might have similar dreams, but it’s all up to us and our own power to make sure OURS are accomplished. I’ve gone through seasons where part of my goal is actually to make sure I don’t tell anyone about it, so that when I fail (not “if”) I don’t have anyone asking me how I’m doing. The funny thing about that approach? It almost always leads to failure. Accountability is key when it comes to achieving our goals. Get in a mastermind group of like-minded bloggers. Find a group of other people who have a similar “one word” as you and keep in touch throughout the year. Start a Voxer group of friends who are also committing to be good stewards of their resources. Or, if your goal is fitness related, join me in a private Facebook group January 18th as we start our next 21 day challenge group. You commit to showing up and doing the work, we commit to encouraging and challenging you to be in the Word, workout, and create healthy habits – all while you make some new friends in a judgement-free environment. No perfection expected, just commitment & progress. You can sign up here & we’ll get you all the info you need.

Get the Right Tools

Each night before I go to bed I look to see what my workout is for the next morning. I get out the weights I know I’ll need, move the workout bench into position, slide the coffee table to the side, and fill up my water bottle. I lay out (or sleep in) my workout clothes with socks & sneakers ready to go in the bathroom. I set my alarm and commit to getting up when it goes off. I have an app on my phone that I use to track my workout (worth it to buy the paid version), an app that I use to track my meal planning, and a Google Doc that I use to plan meals and create a grocery list. The Boy Scouts had it right – always be prepared. A little effort at the end of the night saves me a ton of time in the morning – and takes away a LOT of excuses. A little work over the weekend to plan meals saves me time throughout the week & keeps me from choosing food based on my feelings & emotions. You can wish for your goals to happen, but you need to work to achieve them. Take time to plan and get the right tools. Whether it’s programming your coffee maker to go off so you can sit down and get into your Bible study (have your Bible, journal, and anything else you need ready to go each night), or creating a budget so you can save money and give generously, the work you do to prepare will put you on the path to success.

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When I was watching The Biggest Loser the other night, a quote from one of the trainers stood out to me. She said “The road to success is never linear. You will fail your way to success.” Those three tools will definitely help you, but I promise you’ll have days that feel like failures. The key is not letting that one day stop you from waking up the next morning and trying again. I believe in you – let’s be the 30% – or more – and change that statistic this year.