Did you set goals for 2016? How are they going for you? Now that we are well into the new year, maybe you’re struggling to follow through with your goals or maybe you feel like giving up on your goals.
If you’re needing a pep talk or some inspiration to keep pressing on with your goals, here are 3 keys to actually follow through with your goals:
1. Know Your Priorities
Think about what your priorities in life are. What are those things that you want to wrap your time and energy around?
I have 4 areas that I’m really focusing on this year: my marriage, my mothering, myself, and MoneySavingMom.com. I’m aiming to wrap my life, my time, and my energy around those priorities. If an opportunity arises, if it doesn’t fall in line with those priorities, then I’m more than likely going to say no to it.
None of us can do it all and we can’t do everything in every season. When you know your priorities, it allows you to create goals that are realistic.
2. Surround Yourself With Truth Tellers
Surround yourself with people who are going to speak truth to you. I have some friends who are committed to keeping me accountable to actually having a Year of Rest. If I start to over-commit myself, they are going to call me out on it.
Find those people that are going to hold you accountable to the goals that you have set for yourself. Check in with them and let them know how you are doing. Accountability is key when it comes to being successful at following through with your plans.
In our Make Over Your Year course, we help you to set up 3 different forms of accountability:
- Person: a real-life person or group of people who will keep you accountable and check in on you.
- Product: an app, a printable, an ebook, or spreadsheet that will help you track your milestones.
- Party: a plan to celebrate when you reach the milestones you have set up for yourself. This gives you something to look forward to and will keep you going on the hard days.
Setting up multiple forms of accountability, gives you more motivation to actually follow through with your goals.
3. Tune Out the Negativity
There will always be people who are not going to like the decisions you make.
For instance, when I wrote about how I was going to stop chasing more, I received some pretty strong pushback.
Some people didn’t like what I was cutting out of my life and voiced their opinions in a pretty overt manner. They didn’t want me to step down or step back from anything and they expressed how disappointed they were in my decisions.
Part of having a blog that a lot of people read means that I just can’t please everyone nor is everyone going to agree with the decisions I make. Instead of feeling like I have to make everyone happy, I want to focus on doing what is right before God and my family.
I’ve had to shut out a lot of the negativity from people whom I don’t have a personal relationship with and instead listen to the truth tellers in my life. By doing this, I’m able to focus more on following through with my goals instead of beating myself for feeling like I’m disappointing people and letting them down.
Need some inspiration to follow through with your goals for 2016?
Need some encouragement to create realistic goals and follow through with them? We’re excited to be re-launching our very popular 4-Week Make Over Your Year Course.
This 4-week course includes a comprehensive downloadable workbook, printable worksheets to walk you step-by-step through the goal-setting process we’ll teach you, additional resources and links for each week, and 4 one-hour-long pre-recorded Group Coaching Sessions taught by Jesse and me.
We offered this course live at the beginning of the year and so many people requested that we bring it back again, so we’re really excited to offer it as a complete digital download. Best of all, the entire course will only be $25 this weekend only.
Go here to purchase this course for just $25 — this weekend only!
Brandette W. says
Crystal,
Silly question- what brand or where do you buy your fun stripey socks? I have been looking for new socks and your just make me smile!
Crystal Paine says
I got them off of Amazon! 🙂
Brandette W. says
Ahh, I should have thought of that! I am going to see if I can try to find something like them on Amazon. Thank you so much for replying, I felt kinda silly asking but I just think they are so fun.
Brandette W. says
I am finding a lot of weird looking socks, oddly enough, but nothing that is like yours or even close. Do you happen to know what brand they were or have a link of them you could share?
Thank you, Crystal!!
Crystal Paine says
These aren’t the exact ones I have, but I found these (lots of different options to choose from at each link):
http://amzn.to/1MkoQWw
http://amzn.to/21F52ii
http://amzn.to/22tx2v4
Brandette W. says
You are so beyond kind for taking the time to link these for me. I truly appreciate that you were willing to help me for such a silly request. Thank you so much, Crystal!!
Crystal Paine says
You’re so welcome!
Florence says
Crystal, it is a fine line between tuning out the negativity and hearing a truth that you don’t want to hear. Sometimes it is a good idea to listen to a person who has more experience or a different perspective. I’ve seen people who made tragic financial decisions because they tuned out the negativity of people who tried to caution them with their experience. They had a dream and marched right off the financial cliff. Anyway, that’s my two cents.
Crystal Paine says
Yes! This is why it’s SO important to surround yourself with good truth-tellers — people who have earned the right to speak into your life and will help steer you in a better trajectory when you’re starting to go off-course.
saba says
True that..my point of view this year.
Nicole says
I am just sincerely shocked and in awe that you would have such strong pushback and opinions for wanting to cut back this year (or any at all for that matter). Who the heck are they to have a say in your life and your priorities? As if they know what is better for your own life and family than you? I am just confused at how people could ever think that was their place? You do whatever you need to do, Crystal, and disregard any crazy opinions from random people giving their opinion about YOUR life. ? Goodness.
Lisa says
Me too!!! I don’t understand why they even care, lol!! (I’m assuming they don’t know Crystal personally?) How very strange!!
Congrats on the course, Crystal!!
Mae says
Amen to that! Sometimes I seriously can’t believe how rude people can be. I’m thinking “mind your own business, people!”
Natalie says
I loved your goal setting course! I had just put it in my planner to review my goals & how they’re going this week 🙂
Megan @ Prioritized Living says
Crystal, your three forms of accountability are fantastic! Knowing that someone or something is holding you to your commitment can motivate a person when all else fails . . . and I love the party idea! Having a reward in sight is fantastic.
My husband has been taking a series of professional exams for years and is ALMOST done. I told him I’d throw a party when it’s all over — and that party is just as much motivation for me to shoulder extra weight around the house happily for a little while longer as it is for him to finish up.
It’s so, SO important to be cognizant of our priorities (and I agree that rest is an excellent one!), create realistic goals for ourselves, and then set ourselves up with the tools we need to succeed. They give purpose to the activities of our lives and encourage us when we reach milestones. Thanks for your encouraging words!
Crystal Paine says
I love this comment! Thanks so much for sharing!
Chelsea says
Crystal, congratulations on the success of your course! It’s so good to see you doing well in these- as I know when I have purchased similar courses of yours in the past, they have been immensely helpful. I love your heart to pursue others where they are. To be honest- my goals feel like a complete mess right now so I’m considering purchasing this. Blessings!
Christina @ Martha, Martha says
Oh, I love the idea of accountability–especially the way you’ve got three modes of accountability! And a party? What a great goal celebration. You’ve always got such great ideas. Don’t let the naysayers make you question your plans to keep life in balance.
Robin says
What app is that a picture of?
Crystal Paine says
That’s the app connected to my Jawbone Up.
Cindy says
This weekend as I spent my entire Sunday doing things for the “outside the home” commitments I have…it struck me that I made that choice. I was the one who over-committed and was choosing to give those activities my entire day. I thought of you…and remembered back to my time schedule I made when I read “Survival Mode”. I realized that I needed to re-examine my daily schedule and how much time I gave to outside commitments. And if I couldn’t limit it, then I was just going to have to set a timer for myself. And when it went off…I was done, so I’d have to be more efficient or deal with doing less. This post only reinforces that! Thank you for the reminder!
Crystal Paine says
You are so welcome! I’m grateful it encouraged you!