Don't have time to read? Listen to the audio post here:
Hello my friend,
I write my posts following this mantra: "You teach best what you needed most".
And I can undoubtedly call myself the best at not finishing.
But I am not alone though.
Did you know that 92% of New Year Resolutions fail, and only 8% succeed?
I bet you’re one of those 92%, just like me, that’s why you’re here..
Well, that won’t be the case anymore.
Why?
Cuz I’ve finally managed to join those 8% on the other side, and..
I’m taking you with me!
Believe me when I tell you.. The feeling over there, is a breath of fresh air.
And after reading this post, you too my friend will be able to say:
"I am a Finisher".
So how exactly am I gonna do that?
I am taking you on a journey from the moment you start thinking about a goal till the moment you shout out loud the most beautiful word in the English language.
No it’s not "I love you", it’s DONE!
In our journey, we’ll be having 8 stops.
Each stop is inspired by a strategy from the book that helped me the most to finally Finish my goals, and soon, will be helping you too.
The book is called “Finish: Give Yourself The Gift of Done”, by the amazing and hilarious author Jon Acuff.
Below is the book Finish through my eyes..
(PS. The structure of this post is completely different from the book. Yet it was inspired by the book's strategies. Here you'll find my ideas blended with the author's, and I would highly recommend you still go and read the book)
If you haven't already, go and check the previous stops first:
I will be waiting for you;)
Now to our next stop..
Stop 5: Struggling with Your Goal
You're wondering if you are on the right track as it's getting kinda hard over here..
Strategy 5: Get Rid of Your Secret Rules
Whenever you’re struggling to finish a goal,
It's always a good time to pause, reflect, and do some trouble shooting.
Start by asking yourself this question:
Do I have any secret rules?
Secret rules are the limiting beliefs you have that make your journey so much harder than it needs to be.
To make this a bit more clear, I will give you some examples.
Tell me if any of these sounds familiar:
"I cannot quit or change my goal, I’d be a quitter"
"Money and success are bad and they make people bad"
"I have to work really hard, feel really miserable to earn the right to be strong and successful"
"If it’s good, it cannot be easy or fun, that’s cheating"
"I secretly like talking about how my goals are really hard to accomplish, and how life keeps throwing obstacles at me"
"If I don't see results right away, then maybe it's not for me"
Try to catch any secret rule you find floating in your mind.. Challenge it! Ask who says so?
Then replace it with an antidote affirmation like:
"I am flexible enough to get the best out of every life situation, I don't follow plans blindly"
"I don't make excuses, I make progress. Nobody cares about my excuses"
"I love working on my goals, it's always a fun challenge, a new journey to take, a new problem to solve"
"I am not a victim, I take responsibility of my life"
"Everything is figureoutable, I can figure it out"
"Consistency is the name of the game, I can be patient and I trust the process"
"I am in love with the journey, results are not as meaningful as growing and doing what I love"
Here are 3 other powerful questions to ask yourself whenever your journey is becoming too hard on you. They will also make pinpointing your secret rules easier:
1. Do I even like it?
Do you really want it?
You will get surprised when sometimes the answer is: No...
Remember, your goals have to make you excited.
I quit my Masters in Engineering after asking myself that question,
and it was one of the best decisions I've made.
When you put a goal to wake up early, ask yourself..
Do I prefer mornings over nights?
Forget about the "Habits of most successful people" post you've read.
Instead ask yourself:
Do I actually have something I care about doing early in the morning?
After this step, feel free to change your goal to a more exciting one.
2. What’s my real goal? and What’s my method to reach it? Does it match my personality?
This is to explore all your options. Have an open creative mind.
You can always try an entirely different method, and still get the same outcome.
If you want to start a business, Instagram is not the only channel, try Youtube.
If you want to lose weight, no carb is not the only diet, try just being in a calorie deficit.
If you want to build your fitness, you don't have to run... Play tennis or join a class.
After this step, feel free to change your goal to one that suits you more.
3. Is it time to quit? Will I regret not doing it 5 years from now?
Remember: Our goals are not the destination.
They are the compass.
They give us a direction to move towards.
They are the reason we start our journey in the first place. The reason we get off that couch.
In this journey we get introduced to ideas and opportunities that we didn't know existed.
We get to know ourselves more,
we get to know what we like, and what we don't like.
we get to know what we're good at and what needs more of our attention,
You growing and changing as a person is the biggest hidden prize of this journey.
The prize is your new skills, your experience, and your new personality.
So it's completely normal to decide mid way that this goal is not for you, or maybe not for now.
It is completely normal to find a more meaningful goal.
This is not a failure. The journey is never a wasted time.
After this step, feel free to change your goal to a completely new one.
Action Time:
This is the stop where you clear your mind of any limiting belief that is making your journey harder than it needs to be.
Review your goal and ask yourself the 4 powerful questions.
Then move on with a great excitement for your journey, whatever the destination is.
It is always YOU the real project.
Our next stop is (based on a personal experience) the most important stop in our journey.
It is called: Messing Up.
I am so Happy you've reached this far, and I am looking forward to see you in the next post!
Sign up to keep you posted;) No spam promise.
Have A Happy Day:)