Former Slacker

Sometimes it seems that practical advice has died. Get-rich-quick schemes have become as common as they are ineffective, with everyone pitching the easy path. These eight steps provide a straightforward, realistic path to reaching your goals. These steps won’t provide any easy fixes, but if you want advice that actually works, read on.

1. Identify your desires.

   Take the time to sit down and decide what it is that you want. Your desire can be short term, as in a beach trip this summer, or long term, as in a millionaire retirement.

   Do you desire Money? A successful relationship? More community involvement? A big screen television? Decide what the things you desire are. If you are unable to identify the things you want desires, you will not acquire them. Identify your desires so that you can obtain them.

2. Visualize what you desire.

   No, I haven’t accepted a sponsorship deal with the producers of The Secret. Visualization isn’t a fix-all, but it is a useful tool. It is, first and foremost, a motivational tool.

   Really think about what you want. Clear any mental distractions away and develop an accurate, clear image of what you desire. Develop this image as fully as possible, because it’s going to guide you.

   Now, hold onto that image. If, and when, you run into frustrations, problems, and barriers, you can call back your visualization. You can recall your image to remind yourself what you are working for. Use your visualization as a source of motivation. Build an image that will motivate you.

3. Set goals and record them.

   You decided what you want in step one, and you established a clear mental image in step two. Now is the time to develop accurate written goals. Find a way to put your desire into words. If you cannot put your vision and your desires into written form, they are not well-formed. Revisit steps one and two.

   Writing down your goals forces you to be more exact about what it is you want, and the record of your goals can provide motivation later. Just as you can return to your mental image when the path becomes hard, you can re-read your goals when you need additional inspiration or personal clarification. Write down your goals to clarify them and provide motivation.

4. Break your goals into achievable pieces.

   This is the single hardest part of goal-setting. It’s easy enough to say you want to retire a millionaire. It’s much more difficult to really set down the steps to reach that goal. The individual pieces should be achievable goals in their own rights.

   If your goal requires saving money, then you need to build a budget, and pursue a higher-income job if necessary. If your goal is to improve your health, set yourself a realistic diet and exercise regimen. If your relationship needs mending, decide what’s wrong with your relationship and set aside the resources and time needed to mend the broken parts. If you are unsure what your goal requires, your goal may need to be specified more exactly.

   If any piece of your goal seems too large, break it down further. Treat each piece as a new goal if necessary, going through these eight steps with the smaller goal. Turn your goals into small steps.

5. Eliminate distractions.

   Eliminate the annoyances that hinder your chances of reaching your goals. If your goal is to lose weight, and you’ve got snacks around the house, throw them away. They are a distraction from your goal. You don’t need them around making your goal more difficult. Make throwing away the snacks your first action.

   If you are trying to reduce your debt, and you have a friend who always wants to eat out at the most expensive restaurants, you need to resolve this. It is a serious obstacle to achieving your goal. You don’t have to eliminate the friend, but you need to eliminate the problem. Tell him that you can’t afford to be eating out so expensively. If he’s really a friend, he’ll understand, and you’ll have a distraction eliminated, either way.

   It’s not always easy to remove distractions. It’s not even always possible. In the cases where it is possible, do it. Do what it takes to eliminate as many distractions as you can. The road to a goal is hard enough without unnecessary blockades. Remove the things which distract you from your goals.

6. Push through problems.

   There will always be problems when trying you reach your goals. Some problems will be big, while others will be bigger. You need to push your way through these problems. You built a strong visualization for a reason. There was a purpose to writing down your goals. When you run into an obstacle that’s more than just a distraction, call up your visualization, re-read your written goals. Use these as fuel to push yourself over, around, or through the obstacle. Problems will arise, but you can overcome them. Remember, your goal is on the other side of that obstacle.

   If you are looking for your dream job, and you’ve already gotten ten rejections, pull your visualization up, and ask yourself, “Is this setback big enough to stop me from reaching my goal, big enough to stop me from getting the job I want, that I deserve?” If you want it, really want it, the answer will be, “Absolutely not.”

   Hold onto the image of what you want, and keep plugging away, striving toward your goal, until you reach it. Remind yourself that even though it’s hard work, it’s going to pay off in spades when you achieve your goal. Push through the obstacles to reach your goal.

7. Work hard toward your goals.

   You don’t just need to work hard. You need to work your ass off. This is the most important step in achieving your goals, and it’s also the most difficult. You can have all the best intentions in the world, but if you don’t put in the work, you will never meet your goals. The likelihood of achieving your goal is directly related to the about of work you put in.

   Find the time and resources to achieve your goals. Push yourself to reach your goals, one step at a time. You are responsible for putting the effort in to achieve your goals. No one else will, or can, put the time in for you.

   If you want to get in shape, you have to diet. You have to keep your dates with the treadmill. No one else can get you into shape. If you want to get out of debt, you have to build a budget, and you have to stick with it. It’s you who has to give up the non-vital expenses, and it’s you who has to live within your means. You have to put in the time, and you have to put in the effort.

   Recall your goals and your visualization. Re-read your written goals. Remember what you are working for when the road seems too long. When you slack off, your goals will move further away, but when you really put the work in, you will see your goals coming closer and closer, until they are finally within your grasp. Work hard and eventually your goals will arrive.

8. Re-evaluate your goals.

   Periodically rethink your goals as you progress. It’s okay to change your goals. Sometimes we outgrow a goal. Other times our goal priorities change. If you find that your initial goals no longer meet your current desires, adjust your goals accordingly. Rethink your vision, rewrite your goals, and adjust the steps as necessary. It’s not important that your goals stay constant, only that you are constantly working toward your goals.

   Likewise, if you find that the steps you are taking are not bringing you closer to your goals, or not bringing you closer as fast as you expected, you should reconsider the steps you chose. It may be that you simply need to be patient and continue to work hard, or it may be that the steps you chose are not optimal. Just as your goals need not be set in stone, the steps to your goals can be pliable. Adjust them where necessary to choose the correct path.

   Nothing is set in stone. You chose your goals, and you may likewise choose to change them. Re-evaluate as needed, and don’t be afraid to change your goals. Remember, your goals should fulfill your desires. If they no longer do that, they need to change. If your goals no longer reflect your desires, adjust your goals.

None of these tips are earth-shattering or new. They are instead quite practical and time-tested. They may not always be easy, but they work. Apply them in your life, and with time and hard work, you can bring your goals within reach.