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<\/a>But if you\u2019re like many goal-setters, you\u2019ve also hit a bit of a stumbling block in the last week or so. Maybe you went off your diet. Maybe you missed making your goal of 5 new contacts a day. Or maybe you just lost your enthusiasm.<\/p>\nWhatever the reason, you find yourself off track\u2026frustrated\u2026and wondering why you can\u2019t stick to a game plan for longer than a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n
Well, I\u2019ve got good news for you.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a reason why it\u2019s so hard to stay focused on your goals, even when it\u2019s something extremely important to you. And it has nothing to do with your level of willpower or self-discipline.<\/p>\n
You see, we human beings are creatures of habit. We like our routines. In fact, this resistance to change\u2014any sort of change\u2014is hard-wired into our collective psyche.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because change doesn\u2019t happen all at once. It\u2019s the accumulation of thousands of small actions performed over time. Your life changes because of small decisions that turn into small actions. Like deciding to make that extra phone call. It\u2019s making yourself go to the gym, even when you don\u2019t want to. It\u2019s pushing yourself to stick to your schedule and get things done, even though you have a nearly uncontrollable urge to check your Facebook page.<\/p>\n
In other words, there\u2019s rarely an immediate reward for making these changes. As adults, no one is going to give us a gold star if we reach our goals. In fact, chances are that your friends, family, and business associates will try to keep you stuck in old patterns\u2014often unconsciously. That can make it even harder to reach your goals.<\/p>\n
So how do you stay on track with your goals?<\/p>\n
Simple. You have to reward yourself. Or, more accurately, you need to allow yourself to reward yourself.<\/p>\n
Let me explain. Remember the last time you did \u201cthe right thing\u201d? Maybe it was making all your phone calls for the day by 10am. Maybe it was getting your schedule for the week done well in advance\u2014and sticking to it. Maybe it was just saying \u201cno thanks\u201d to the donuts being passed around at an office meeting.<\/p>\n
Whatever that decision or action was, how did you feel afterwards? Probably pretty good. You stuck to your guns and did what you knew you needed to do. You may have noticed that you felt happier, more energetic, and got even more things done that day.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because those small, positive actions cause us to self-reward. When you make the right choice\u2014however small it is–you feel better about yourself. And unconsciously, you start to see yourself as a person who makes the right choices. That creates momentum\u2026and soon enough, those choices become second nature. And before you know it, you\u2019ve reached your goal. In many cases, you may blow right past it\u2014taking yourself to new heights the \u201cold you\u201d didn\u2019t think possible.<\/p>\n
So there you have it: if you want to change your life, change the little things. That doesn\u2019t mean that you don\u2019t set big goals. It just means you don\u2019t try to achieve those goals all-out, right away.<\/p>\n
But the truth is you can\u2019t change your entire life. You can only change your next action. That\u2019s it.
\nSo, what\u2019s your next action going to be? Will it bring you closer to your goal\u2026or push it further away?<\/p>\n
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