The reason why I wanted to dedicate a whole blog post to talk only about staying committed to your goals is that I see a lot of people trying to listen to online advice that says ‘’get an accountability partner and a habit tracker and you’ll create commitment easily’’.
It’s like those two ways are the ONLY ways to stay committed to your goals and stop falling off track.
My own experience and my clients’ experiences have taught me that this is not the case. We’re not all the same. We’re not all motivated by the same things. What works for some productivity gurus out there might NOT work for you.
That’s why in today’s blog post I’m sharing with you three different ways to stay committed to your goals. Maybe only one of these will work for you and that’s okay.
Remember, reader, we’re all different and what’s important is to find what works for YOU and do more of that.
1) find external accountability to help you stay committed to your goals
What I mean by finding external accountability to stay committed to your goals is getting an accountability partner. This can be your coach, your colleague, or even some Facebook group that is full of people who strive to achieve the same goal as you.
Personally, I’m in a few Facebook groups for coaches, guitar players, and digital nomads. Having a safe space where no one is going to judge your goals or your struggles is always beneficial. If you don’t have that kind of support with your friends or colleagues, maybe joining some free Facebook groups could help.
But, at the same time, if I want to stay committed to my goals, free Facebook groups are not enough to keep me motivated. I’ll talk more about what works best for me in a few minutes.
If having external accountability is what works for you, there is no need to change it. I encourage you to use this awareness to your advantage instead of trying to change who you are and forcing yourself to somehow start being driven from within.
It’s okay if you work best when others expect you to accomplish something. There’s nothing wrong with that. We’re all different.
If you need an accountability partner who is also there to guide you and help you achieve your goal, I invite you to sign up for my 1:1 coaching program called the Resilient Action Taker where we work together and you get personalized guidance to achieve your goal in the way that works specifically for you.
You can read all about my program, as well as the experiences of my previous clients on this link and book your free consultation so that we can start working on your goal together.
2) hold yourself accountable
Holding yourself accountable to stay committed to your goals might look something like habit trackers. Another thing you could do is schedule weekly check-ins with yourself. This is particularly helpful to review your progress and set milestones for the week ahead.
If you’re the only one who is holding you accountable, you could also try celebrating the accomplishments of your milestones.
I know that for some people celebrating their successes might seem unnecessary. Maybe you don’t think that achieving your milestones is a big deal. Regardless, I want you to know that it’s okay to feel good about your achievements.
Even if celebrating your wins looks like having a 20-minute dance party to your favorite music. I’d still encourage you to do it. You deserve to feel good about your progress. Allow yourself to feel good about yourself. And who knows, it might just be the thing to help you with the motivation needed to keep up and create commitment from within.
If you want to make sure you’re making continuous progress on your goals, check out my podcast episode (The La Ivana Podcast) number 24 which is all about different ways you can measure and evaluate your progress so that you set yourself up for success with your goals.
Related blog posts:
3 Ways to Increase Motivation in a Matter of Minutes
How to Stop Procrastinating and Get Things Done
3) shift your identity
Have you heard of Gretchen Rubin’s book The Four Tendencies? Well, my tendency is a rebel which means that none of the above work for me. What works for me when I want to stay committed to my goals is shifting my whole identity. What this means is that I need to see myself as a person who has achieved the goal I’m working on.
For instance, while I’m working out, I’m repeating in my mind, ‘’I’m a fit person. Exercise is part of my life. This is who I am.’’
Studies have shown that identifying yourself with a goal you want to achieve will make you 13 percent more likely to take action. To start, you could use affirmations that signify progress. Try something like ‘’I’m BECOMING ____’’ if saying ‘’I AM ___” makes you uncomfortable because you’re not already there.
For example, if your goal is to be fit and saying ‘’I AM fit’’ makes you feel bad about yourself, try saying ‘’I am BECOMING more fit every day.’’
Check-in with yourself and see how each of these steps I’ve talked about makes you feel.
What about you, reader? Which one of these tips will you apply to your life to stay committed to your goals?
If you’re ready to go a step further and work with me to achieve your goal – check out my 1:1 coaching program and book your free consultation so that we can start working on your goal together.
No more falling off track, feeling disappointed in yourself and feeling like you’re throwing spaghetti at the wall hoping that something will stick.
While we work together, we will develop the best strategy that works for you, you will get personalized guidance, accountability, and help to finally reach your goal.
The link to read all about how you can work with me and book your free consultation is here.
Until the next time,
I.
P. S. If you liked this blog post, listen to the whole episode on The La Ivana Podcast (EP26).
finding accountability goal setting motivation personal growth productivity staying committed to your goals success
Love this especially at the start of the next year. External accountability is a great suggestions Thanks!
Glad you liked it! I hope it will help you with achieving your goals for this year, Anu 🙂
Thank you for the post, I am going to give the shift your identity a try.
Awesome! Let me know how it works for you, Adenike 🙂
Good advice, and thanks for the book recommendation, I will check it out!
I hope you’ll like the book! I found it really helpful to learn more about how motivation works for different people and different tendencies 🙂
Great list! I always find it helpful (yet intimidating) when I share my goals with others bc I find they ask about it, and if I’m not achieving the results, I start to shut down… I like the mindset shift you talk about, that’s a good idea. I will have to try it! Thanks!
I know what you mean, Katherine! Sharing our goals with others can often make us more motivated because others expect us to achieve something. But, of course, it can also be difficult when we’re not making progress and we don’t want others to think we’re failing.
I’m glad you liked the advice on mindset shift because our mindset is exactly what we need to work on when we start feeling embarrassed/afraid to tell others that we haven’t achieved what we said yet. Let me know how implementing that advice works for you 🙂
Having external accountability is a great way to stay on track with new habits and goals. Such a great post, thank you!
You’re welcome, Jo! Glad you liked it 🙂