Recommitting to Your Goals This Spring & Summer

Most of us start the new year with lofty goals and grand ideas but often lose the motivation or the drive to follow through because we may be overwhelmed or distracted. Perhaps we are juggling one too many balls in the air, interrupting our focus and composure. Maybe our goals weren’t specific enough, or we shot for the moon and weren’t sure where to begin or how to measure success.

I’m sharing some simple strategies that have been tremendously helpful in creating a daily routine, meeting goals, and staying organized.

Cover The Essentials First

It’s easy to feel discouraged when you believe you aren’t making progress on your goals. Take a step back to be sure you’ve set yourself up for success. It may not fit with the “hustle culture” messaging, but are you getting enough quality sleep, staying hydrated, eating nutritious meals, moving your body, and tending to your emotional needs? Without these boxes checked, progress tends to be much slower in other areas.

Start (or Restart) with Reasonable Goals

This doesn’t mean settling for less, but identifying specific areas in your life that you want to tackle, that are challenging but doable (here are some pointers on S.M.A.R.T. goals from business.com). Something as simple as giving yourself a reasonable timeline to clean out your cabinets or organize your closet. If your goal is to be a marketing intern, set out a plan, starting with visiting your university’s Career Services Department to learn about internships and opportunities for experience and growth. Give yourself the gift of time to achieve attempt, fail, fall again, achieve, and succeed. Persistence is the key.

Write it Down

Journaling has proven to offer a variety of benefits including improved mental health, lower blood sugar, and encourage new ideas that will spark enthusiasm and joy. You can always look back at your journals and see where you were during a certain point, and how far you have come. You can also add your dreams and goals and writing them down brings them to life because it allows you to clarify your ambitions and create an action plan for achieving them. Buy yourself a journal that will encourage you to reach for it and use it daily.

Avoid Hitting the Snooze Button

Most people hit the snooze button several times before dragging themselves out of bed. Research has proven that hitting the snooze button may leave you feeling more fatigued than getting a few extra minutes of sleep. Once the alarm goes off, do you really ever get back to blissful sleep anyway? It’s better to set a sleep schedule that allows you to get 7 to nine hours of rest, without screen time. Find your personal sleep pattern and stick to it.

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

If you find yourself wanting to buy all of the latest things on your social media friend’s page or profile – remember that they are often trying to make money by pitching a product. They are also more than likely staging an area in their home to look beautiful but still have a lifestyle not unlike your own. Kitchens get dirty, kids make a mess, gardens don’t always have a bounty of rich-colored vegetables in them, and life isn’t as pretty as it appears online. Give yourself grace.

Continue to Develop Personal Relationships

Friends can be a great resource of support and a powerful boost to your morale. There is so much research on the value of true friendship. Don’t let the guilt of not having enough time keep you from doing what you can, when you can. If you are too tired to go out on Saturday night, pencil in a quick game of Sunday morning pickleball or a brisk walk around the neighborhood with a couple of cups of home-brewed coffee.

Create Daily Rituals and Stick to Them

 

Standing in the grass in your cozy robe, barefoot, while your fur baby does their business is a nice way to ground yourself first thing in the morning. Adding your favorite (healthy) creamer to your coffee and using a beautiful mug tells yourself you are worth the extra effort. Reading a motivational scripture or meditating before your feet hit the floor, opening your beautiful journal and writing with colorful markers, adding fresh mint and lemon to your water, all can elevate your mood and bring joy to your day. You are worth it!

For more information about working with Diane, America’s “Go To” social and professional etiquette authority, please visit The Protocol School of Texas. 

See what Diane is up to by following her on Instagram and Facebook and find etiquette inspiration on her Pinterest account. For more of Diane’s etiquette tips, refer to her posts on Inc. and HuffPost.