Starting something new, like a new year, is usually exciting.  But this year, after two challenging years, I’m hearing lots of people who are just exhausted. Maybe you feel a little that way too…

If that’s you that’s OK. It’s also important that you be kind to yourself.

Many people tend to be a bit too hard on themselves when it comes to their progress, seemingly for no valid reason. They like to hold themselves to such high standards for no reason other than to try to push themselves harder. But in reality, that might be detracting from your overall experience.

It’s as important to be happy when you make progress as it is to celebrate when you finally complete something.

If you’re not able to be happy when you make progress, you’re going to have a hard time motivating yourself to keep on going, leading you to burn out or give up altogether before you achieve your goals.

Getting excited is a fantastic motivator in so many ways. It can cheer you up, make you want to do more, and keep you going by putting you in a good mood. You’ll often do your best work when you’re happy, and lesser quality work when you’re neutral or upset.

For this reason, you need to be excited when you make progress towards success, even if you might typically think it’s not a big deal. For whatever reason, people don’t like to get excited about small things.

They think it might make them look like amateurs to be so delighted over such a small milestone, but who cares? The only person you need to compare yourself to is you. People who don’t like celebrating small victories are usually the same ones who have been sitting in a stagnant place for a long time.

Anyone who’s successful in a field would understand the excitement that comes with doing something small, but well. For example, if your dream was to become a novelist one day, you might feel really happy and proud of yourself if you were to write a page or two that you were happy with.

For some people, they might look at that and think it’s meaningless, because some authors can write pages upon pages per day. However, just being able to appreciate little bits of progress like that can make all the difference in the long run.

Think about the difference between being excited about small progress and just daydreaming.

On one hand, you’re making tangible, real steps toward a goal that you want to achieve in order to become successful. On the other hand, the daydreamer is just sitting around not making any progress aside from being hopeful.

Be happy that you’re able to take action and actually accomplish some small step towards your goal, no matter how insignificant it might seem to be. There is joy in making progress.

In the real world, every little thing you do can make a big difference.

Remember, You can do this! And you don’t have to do it on your own.  When you are ready, contact me for details of our coaching programs. I’m here to help!

If you want to do it on your own use this to plan out your best year yet  https://kmginfo.link/bestyear 

Do your goals seem to big? Sometimes the biggest obstacle we face in moving forward after a challenge, crisis or major change has occurred in our life, is our own sense of overwhelm. It’s scary to wonder where to go from here or how to dig ourselves out of a tough situation. It often seems easier to do nothing or to wallow in self-pity. 

I’m not judging you if you’ve found yourself in this position. I believe we probably all have been there at one time or another. And I see lots of people right now who thought they got through last year through sheer strength and determination who are struggling to get back into it all this year. Sometimes it just all seems like too much effort. 

That’s when you have to implement a clear plan of action. You can stop overwhelm by simplifying your big plans and setting smaller, attainable goals. Even taking one tiny step toward change is a start. Keep reading to learn how you can stop the overwhelm by simply setting smaller goals that you are easier to reach. 

Break It Down

Brainstorming can help get your worries out of your head so that you can start to face them head-on. Take some time to write down all of the ideas you have for ways you can move ahead in your current situation. No matter how small or how far-fetched, just get them out of your head and down on paper. I like to jot each idea down on a sticky note so I can rearrange them into ideas that group together. Pick the one that is highest priority and easiest to implement than the others – and make it your goal. 

That’s where you should start.

Begin by breaking that goal down into tangible, manageable and realistic steps you can actually take to overcome your problem. This action alone may help you to feel less stressed and more hopeful, as you can now see the possibilities that may have been blurred before. 

Set Milestones

Next, you’ll want to set some milestones or checkpoints to help to keep yourself on track. Again, consider taking baby steps to help you overcome the overwhelm by setting your check-ins fairly regularly. 

Making your first milestone something smaller and readily attainable will help to increase your confidence, as well as boosting your motivation to make it to the next milestone. Creating these review points also forces you to develop some sort of plan for your goal, rather than just hoping things will get better. 

Review Regularly

Take time to regularly review your original goal in order to be sure it’s still working for you or that you’re even still on the right path. 

Sometimes we find ourselves set on achieving something that’s no longer in our best interests simply because we’re too stubborn or scared to assess our circumstances. Reflect honestly on where you’re going by looking back on the milestones you’ve passed so far. If it feels right in your gut, keep on keeping on. 

Should something seem off or if you’re not making the progress you’d hoped, go back to the drawing board. Review those sticky notes you wrote earlier. Take more notes on your situation, jotting down your ultimate desire and brainstorming steps to help you attain it. Then begin anew with your revised game plan. 

Doing something is almost always better than doing nothing. This is true when facing times of challenge and change, for sure. Follow these suggestions for gaining control over the obstacles in your life and moving ahead one baby step at a time. You’ll soon see that what you want can be achieved and your troubles can be overcome.

If you struggle to achieve the goals you set yourself, or never get past the first month of any new project you embark on, this powerful planner is exactly what you need to achieve your goals in a 12 Week Sprint.