07 Mar Finding happiness…10 easy ways to make your goals stick
Following on from the above, on the same day Prof. Sharp also found this great Huffington Post article on finding happiness via achieving your goals. It begins like this…
Want a happier year? Having goals can fast track you there. Yes, sometimes life can get in the way; old ingrained patterns can infiltrate good intentions. What to do? Here are 10 easy ways to help rebuild those neural pathways, so that the new goals on your happiness journey can stick.
1.Have a Big Enough Reason: The "why" you are even undertaking a goal has to be important. It's not enough to say "I need to drop some weight." Saying "I am in the process of improving my HDL cholesterol to be around for the people I care about" is way more powerful. Think of the benefits of what you want, and say it in present time (I'm in the process of…).
2.One Goal at a Time: Choose only one thing to focus on at a time, and make it something that's specific and achievable. Also, the result should depend on what you do rather than situations where others are in control (a goal to win a lottery — you're not in control of that!). Giving your attention to your one doable thing also ensures that it stays in the forefront of your mind.
3.Break It Down:By breaking one big goal down into doable mini-goals, you learn to trust yourself more and feel more in control. If you want to write that novel you've never had time for, try writing for a set period of time or a page a day, so it just becomes part of your daily routine. Training for a race? Set a realistic training schedule with interim goals. Passion + Taking Steps = Results.
4.Connect the Goal to an Action: What are some actions and habits that will support your goal? If you want to lose that spare tire, try having cut vegetables at the ready and not eating after eight p.m. Want more fun? Try the action of doing a class you love or getting together with friends every Friday. That said, what are some actions or habits that could get in the way? Chocolate obsession, anyone? Try keeping individually wrapped pieces and plan to always have one after dinner when you're feeling relaxed. (I'm using that one for my chocolate obsession… I welcome your ideas!)
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