Introduction
We all have those goals that we dream of one day achieving. Those goals that we think of constantly and hope to someday accomplish. This could be something like playing the guitar, learning how to draw, or even learning a new language.
Unfortunately for many of us these goals and dreams remain just that, goals and unaccomplished dreams. There are many reasons why this is. Either we just don’t have the time, the energy, or you don’t know where to begin. The thought of doing what is required to reach the goal just seems so daunting that we just never move.
If it’s a goal that takes time to gain competency in, you may just never begin. We love to think about the end step. What we would do if accomplished said goal or gained the skill needed. Getting started and having to slog through all the intermediary steps halt many people in their tracks.
There is a solution to this however. The best way to get past the inability to move forward is to take progression in small incremental chunks. Instead of thinking about all the tasks you need to perform or all the steps needed, focus instead on progress itself no matter how little.
Make Progress Your Goal
“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” -Barack Obama
Stop worrying about the end result and all the little things needed to get there. Instead focus on doing a little bit every day towards your goal. Small steps taken every day is the best way to tackle those big goals you have in mind. Don’t underestimate what doing a little bit every single day could do for you.
Consider if your goal was to write a novel. The average length of a novel is around 50,000 words total. When you think about how big of a word count that is it may seem intimidating. If you break that up into smaller chunks however it makes it seem much more doable. In as little as 250 words a day, you could have a finished novel within 200 days. There is still the process of editing and drafting but we won’t get into that.
Focusing on the progress aspect of your goal will help you get over the fear of starting. Thinking about how big of a goal you have and how much you have to do will hamper your ability to continue forward. Doing a little bit every day will eventually add up to something much bigger.
Consistency Is The Key To Progress
“We all have to start somewhere, and doing something is better than nothing at all. Start small so you don’t get discouraged and give up. Remember it is all about consistency.” -Khloe Kardashian
Being consistent is going to be one of the most helpful things when it comes to your goals. Everyday you should make incremental steps towards your goals no matter how small. Even as little as five to ten minutes a day will create measurable results to whatever you are trying to achieve.
Consistency will eventually create a habit which will make the tasks you are doing much less challenging. The habits you form will give you confidence down the line to continue working towards your goals regardless of how you are feeling that day.
Some Progress Is Better Than No Progress
Strive to do a little bit each day, even if you don’t feel like it. Even if your progress seems small or may not seem worth it, do it anyway. Let’s say that your goal is to become more fit and generally healthier. Doing as little as ten minutes of exercise per day would have great benefits for you in the long term.
In a study done by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, it was found 10 minutes a day at a leisurely pace was enough to grant the participants great improvements to their health. These improvements included improved heart strength and increased fitness levels.
This principle can be used for any of the goals you have set for yourself. As little as ten minutes of progress in any task will have been better than doing absolutely nothing at all. So go out there and do something even if it’s five or ten minutes. That time you spend doing something may even extend past that and if it does great but if it doesn’t that’s also fine as long as you did something.
Achieving something important usually takes steady consistent effort over a long period of time. Progress may not seem evident at first but eventually over the months you will look back and see that you have in fact gotten better or achieved more than you thought you could have.
Use Momentum To Your Advantage
With consistency comes momentum. Every day that you do something to progress towards your goal is momentum that you are building to further propel yourself forward. Habits are formed when you do something on a consistent basis and it eventually becomes hard to not do that thing you have been doing every day.
The more you do something the harder it is to stop yourself from doing it. This goes for many different things in your life. There are bad habits that you might have that run by this principle, things that you have trouble stopping yourself from doing even if you know it’s not good for you. By using momentum and being consistent you can use it to progress towards that goal you’ve always wanted to achieve.
Be Forgiving To Yourself
The last thing I would like to talk about is to be forgiving of yourself. There will be days where you don’t accomplish what you set out to do for the day. Even if it’s something small such as writing a small amount, you may have a day where you’re unable to do it.
What’s important to remember is to be kind to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up over it if you weren’t able to do that task. Simply do your best to get back to it the next day. Being mad at yourself won’t help you stay on track.
Be understanding and learn to forgive yourself because we all make mistakes and the best thing you can do it to try again. As long as you keep trying and working through your failures you will never truly lose.
