Formula of Five: Self-discipline (Final)
If we are not a little bit uncomfortable every day, we're not growing. All the good stuff is out side our comfort zone." Jack Canfield
It will motivate you, help you to build good habits, and help you slog through the sacrifices as you make the sometimes long trek toward reaching your ultimate goal, so it’s vital that you’re crystal clear on what your why is. Keep your why in the forefront of your mind. It will give you strength and help you to keep going, even when your natural strength and drive wanes.
Number 4. Set goals for incremental progress.
When you have a big goal you’re working toward, you can’t get there in one jump. Sometimes a goal takes months to reach, sometimes years. When you’re working toward a long-term goal, it’s natural to grow weary in well-doing. To help you stay on track and encouraged, it’s effective to set daily, weekly, and monthly steps of progress. You need to have clear immediate goals that are small enough that you can reach them daily, but that build one upon one another, working toward a plan that leads to where you want to be next month, in three months, in six months, and the next year. You need to be able to plan, recognize, and measure your incremental progress.
When you’re chipping away at a big goal, it’s important to be realistic about the small goals. It won’t help to set goals that aren’t attainable; that will only leave you discouraged and feeling like you should quit now. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Instead, set yourself up for success by setting sustainable goals that acknowledge the many small steps that are inching you ever closer to the fulfillment of your big goal.
Focus on consistency, regularity, and faithfulness. You can’t do a little here or there and expect to achieve your goals. Doing a small thing consistently will develop a powerful habit, which will serve you well. Don’t underestimate small steps. Incremental growth is powerful. Over time you can make big changes in your life by taking small steps consistently.
Number 5. Have a system for accountability.
There are so many things that come up in daily life that threaten to knock us off course and derail us from reaching our goals. I bet we’ve all set a goal, started working towards it, and then a few weeks later realized, “Hey, what happened to that goal I set? I haven’t thought about it or done anything towards it for over a week now.” Maybe you got sick, had visitors stay with you, traveled for work, or were taking care of sick children. The list of interruptions could go on and on.
It’s vital to have a system of some type that points you towards your goals again and again.
Tracking your progress brings moment-to-moment awareness of the areas of your life that you want to improve. You can’t manage or improve something until you measure it. Tracking is a key to staying on track or getting back on track.10
Research shows that when you tell someone else what your goal and commitment is, you’re much more likely to stick with it. Accountability makes you more likely to succeed, so if you’re going to put time and hard work into something, why not help to ensure your success by figuring out a simple but effective way to hold yourself accountable?
Accountability systems trump intentions. If you don’t have a system, the natural result will be to stray off course. You can avoid the “if I only had” lament by safeguarding yourself and your God-given goals by holding yourself accountable daily.
10 Darren Hardy, “Tracking Progress,” DarrenDaily, December 5, 2014
11 Zechariah 4:6 CEV.
Director's Corner TFI