How to Achieve Your Goals, part 2

You may not admit it that though you have told yourself that you will refrain from setting goals or New Year’s resolutions, you have unconsciously done some re-thinking. You will stay healthy; no more sugar, no more to couch potato, no more late nights, no more working on weekends, etc.  You don’t want to admit that you have set some goals for fear of not achieving them.

At the start of the New Year, you are very motivated to do all that you have set yourself to do. After a few weeks of success and seeing the results, you tend to be complacent and decide to reward yourself. You sit down and watch a new Netflix series over a dessert of cupcake. Before you know it, you are back into your old self, back to your old habits.

Frustration and disappointment made you to tell yourself, you will never change. You will never achieve your goals.

Why is it that some people are able to achieve their goals? What is their secret?

The secret to achieving goals lies in the brain. As the adage says, “It is all in the mind.” The secret to achieving your goals lies on how you are thinking.  Studies reveal that we can train our brains. We have control over the signals in our brain that affect our thinking. We can make our brain think and follow what we intend to do.

Follow these 4 thinking strategies (adapted from Mari Selby, Jump Start Your Motivation, Forbes Magazine, 2014.) to help you achieve your goals this year.

1.  Focus your attention to your goals. Keep your mind set on the “do it” signals. The more you focus on your goal and what you should do to achieve it, the more likely you are to move and win over de-motivating thoughts.
2. Focus on the benefits of your goal. You must be clear on the benefits of your goal. Knowing the benefits of what you hope to achieve will generate stronger positive thoughts. What will you gain by being physically healthy? Is it long life, ease of movement, look physically beautiful? Do you want all of these benefits? Then you need to work and do the necessary to achieve your goal.
3. Visualize the effect of your goal; think of it happening. The power of visualization and positive thinking will propel you mind to make your body work towards your goal. You will increase activity in the reward-related areas of your brain and reduce activity in areas that might otherwise slow you down with doubts against your capability to achieve what you desire and fear of failure or concern over the difficulty of the task.
4. Do more of “random acts of kindness”. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, or endorphin, which is linked to motivation. Studies say that endorphins are enhanced and increased with altruistic or selfless behavior. Therefore, acts of kindness are a motivation in themselves.  As we act more kindly and think of ourselves less, endorphins or motivating chemical in our brains increases. As motivation increases, the more likely we are to achieve our goals.

If you haven’t tried this thinking strategy, why not try it this year? It could be your key to finally achieving your goals.