Stop! Put everything down. Jump off the hamster wheel and sit down for a minute
REMEMBER all those fabulous New Year’s resolutions and promises you made just a fortnight ago? Joining a gym in Sligo? Getting out and enjoying some of our world-class landscape and hiking along the many Sligo Walks? How’s that going? Forgotten them already?
According to James Clear, a US entrepreneur, it’s not about setting goals – they make you unhappy, always putting off being unhappy until you’ve reached your ‘goal’ - it’s about putting systems in place to get the work done.
You don’t even have to think about goals. According to James, it’s all about systems, as opposed to goals. If for example, you decided to join one of the many great gyms in Sligo this January, your goal is to get fit. Your system is your training schedule for the month.
Have you asked your gym instructor for help with this? Most of them in Sligo would be only too happy to design a fitness regime that you can fit around your lifestyle.
Writer Jeff Haden says committing to a process, not a goal is the key to success. “Keep things simple and reduce stress by focusing on the daily process and sticking to your schedule instead of worrying about big, life-changing goals,” he said.
Goals are about the short-term result, believes Jeff. “systems are about the long- term process. In the end, process always wins. I’ ve found that goals are good for planning your progress, while systems are good for actually making progress.
Goals can provide direction and even push you forward in the short term, but eventually a well-designed system will always win,” he added.
The next step is to think about your first step. Break it down into achievable actions. Then keep going. Finally, don’t forget to celebrate when you achieve success, whatever that may be for you. Good luck!