Big goals can be scary. It doesn’t matter if it’s losing a significant amount of weight, paying off a large chunk of consumer debt, or changing careers. When we look at those big goals, we get intimidated. We put off working towards them because we either don’t know where to start, or because the task simply seems too daunting. The secret to reaching any goal is to just keep taking baby steps and adjusting your course as needed. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it?
Unfortunately, there’s always something that will throw a wrench into your plans, potentially halting your progress. I’m talking about guilt. Not only does it prevent you from starting to go after your dreams in the first place, it also keeps trying to sneak back into your life. You’ll notice those little negative thoughts popping back in your head after the first excitement of making progress and going for it dies down. That’s when you have to be prepared so these feelings of guilt or self-doubt don’t throw you off track.
I’ve mentioned how helpful a journal can be when it comes to self-reflection. It’s also a great tool to help you spot guilty feelings popping back up. If you get yourself to journal regularly about your feelings and your progress, you have something to look back on. You have a record of what you’re doing and how you’re feeling. You can then look through your daily entries and find those instances of guilt quickly.
As we’ve discussed before, it’s easier to get over the guilt and in this case prevent it from taking hold when we know what it is and that it’s coming. When you know what you’re feeling bad about, you can find arguments and proof against it. Reminding yourself of the positive impact the changes you’re making will have on your life also helps you stay the course.
For example, that piece of cake may be tempting you and you may feel guilty about not eating the dessert that your aunt so lovingly prepared. Or you may feel guilty about letting perfectly good food go to waste. By reminding yourself that your health will be much better and that you’re able to run around the park with the kids, you can quickly overcome these feelings of guilt. The same holds true if you’re feeling guilty for not going out to lunch with your friends at work, or not buying your kid the latest pair of designer sneakers because you’re being financially responsible. Do you see how this works? Additionally, you have something to show you the progress you’ve been making and the positive changes you’re already experiencing. That can be a great confidence booster, which will be important as you continue your journey.
The best part is that you don’t’ have to have it all figured out to get started. You don’t need to know exactly what you’ll have to do at every step along the way. You don’t need to come up with a plan to pay off your entire credit card debt. You don’t have to figure out how exactly you’ll lose all of those 65 extra pounds. You don’t need to know what it will take to buy your dream home. And you don’t need to know everything there is to know about opening and running your own bakery.
Start by looking at your big goal, the changes you want to make, or what you want to get out of life. Know what your end goal is, but don’t worry about everything you need to do to get there. Just make sure you have an idea of the general direction you want to head in. At this point, it’s fine to simply decide that you want to lose some weight and improve your health, or pay off those credit cards and student loans to give yourself some financial breathing space.
If your goal is improving your health and losing weight, your baby steps may be to go for a 10 minute walk each day, or replacing soda with sparkling water. Maybe it’s trying some new healthy recipes and getting into the habit of eating a salad or steamed veggies with two meals per day. If the goal is to save money or pay off debt, it could be to have $20 per month auto drafted into a savings account or to pay the principal of your debt. Or maybe it’s going through bills and cutting out some monthly extras like canceling magazine subscriptions or downgrading your cellphone and cable bills. Maybe it’s skipping the coffee shop in the morning and packing your lunch. Find one or two places where you can save a few dollars and start applying them towards your financial goal. If you want to change careers or start your own business, read up on what you need to do or find someone to talk to who’s done what you want to do for guidance. In short, do something today that will move you in the right direction.