How to get closer to your Goals

Tips For Getting Closer To Your Goals And Achieve Them Too!

A goal is a cup of caffeine that we wish to taste every morning; if this is not so then your goal is not a GOAL. Goal setting is a powerful exercise, because the moment we do it, by its sheer power it forces us to reduce our randomness, narrow down our priorities and streamline the daily routine. There is a gut feeling, an intuition that pushes us to expand our boundary to achieve the target that we have set in our life. It’s a commitment for a period that will be taxing and frustrating which in disguises teaches the important lessons of life and makes us stronger and more committed to continue our journey. Let’s explore some of the many possible ways that can help to run a marathon that is needed before we touch the finishing line.

*Old Habits Die Hard But Make Them Rest In Peace, Slowly! : We sense an emphatic command when we encounter a successful person. People adore them; think about their aura; read, rather reread about their coverage in media and elsewhere; they are hanging on our wall and emoting differently on various accessories like cup, watch, notebooks, writing stationeries etc. Though secretly being jealous- especially when we face series of losses, of their success, we always remain in their awe. But have we ever pondered over the frictions which they overcame before world started recognizing them and celebrated their hard work. They too had option of every leisure which has dominated our sphere of life. They too were not born with complete awareness of their fault; a claim that even a self realized monk can’t make! But down the line they understood that how far they can go this way- probably not much. So they introduced, change. Well said by Jack Welch, an executive of a successful firm GE(General Electric): “Change before you have to”. How true!

In “Start- up” world the phrase- “break things fast” is very popular. It simply means that fails fast, learn the lessons and move on and don’t repeat the old mistakes. In general, procrastination, forgetfulness of goal and too much of sense indulgence are the most fundamental speed breakers of our life. We read about them- you are reading it here again! only to repeat and feel bad about it. Bad habits are like extra fat loaded on your body which not only let you move slowly but also makes you look weird. So old habits die hard but make it sure they rest in peace, slowly- if your goal is to achieve your goal!   








* Become The No.1 Priority:

It sounds too selfish, isn’t it,Wrong! Yes being good and having an altruistic outlook is nice but how does it feel-one need not to tell, when it comes at the cost of your goal. Imagine going on bed every day with guilt that helping others took away the best of your time slot which was supposed to be invested in yourself. I know it is difficult. Truth be told, infrequently it can be so difficult to say a no that you wind up giving in and prefer to say “Yes Boss!. It's human instinct - we need to be pleasant, we need to be enjoyed, and we need to be thoughtful. In our society it is being taught not to cross our elders and always be helpful however painful may be the situation. We get used to it but in the end it harms our own agenda. And remember, these same people will question you when you will fall short of achieving your aim. So a polite “no” with a smile is not a bad gesture while asking them to be patient with your work after which you may be their genie-“kya huqm hai mere aaka”- what’s your wish my master?

*Change The Vibration Of Your Being:

We have heard many a time that we become what we think and visualize yet we fall back in the repeated pattern of thought process and views of our life. The mind is a bunch of sounds. And what does it mean by the statement that your mind is a bunch of sounds? Your mind is made up of language. Ninety percent of your mind is language. If you pull out language from the mind, the mind would not exist. Then, what is language? Language is sound-sound and meaning put together. Now, what is sound? Sound is just a bunch of vowels and consonants. If you understand vowels and consonants, you have understood most of your mind. So, if you want to change your mind, change the sounds in your consciousness. Your mind has a sound pattern. Your unconscious has a sound pattern. Change these patterns and you will find yourself manifesting the life of your dreams. By using positive affirmation, visualizing you can change your life by changing the sounds of your consciousness. Positive affirmations, combined with intention, attention and manifestation will create miracles in your life. Always remember, again and again you will fall in trap of your mind that will seduce you to fall for the older thought pattern but you have to use your intellect and protect yourself.
Easier said than done; how to make this a habit? Tie a black string in your hand, for example and whenever a negative thought enters just pull it! Secondly, you can introduce meditation in your daily routine as it helps you to observe your thought and separate yourself from it. Thought itself is neutral; its positive or negative nature makes or breaks our life. Surround yourself with lots of positives- books, people, affirmations, meditation, and sacred mantras if you wish and practice this for 90 days at least. Let it become part of your blood and bone, period.
*Choose Inspiration Over Motivation:

What’s the difference; they are synonym, don’t they? In a sense yes, but in a broader aspect, can differ. While what motivates you is like ice cream- an ephemeral emotion, it melts quickly; inspiration is like buying a pair of Bata shoes- it lasts long! Many a time you might have experienced some feel good factor after watching a motivational video, reading a book or listening to a speaker in a motivational speaker. The euphoria when you are in a crowd overpowers you and everything looks green and beautiful; but the moment the crowd disperses and you are walking on that lonely street, sitting silently staring the roof of your confinement, the pessimist ghost starts hovering. You continue living the routine you had previous day or the day before yesterday. You give up, literally.
On the other hand if you have a clear vision, a purpose, a sense of achievement that will not only impact you but millions of people; you strive for it even if it hurts. This purpose is so grand that to discipline your body mind becomes your priority without any motivational videos or provoking from some life coach. So, inspiration is that state of mind that propels you to continue your effort even if you feel demotivated; even if you have a bad day; and odds of life have upper hand. Sardar Patel had a vision of a unified India. It looked difficult to pull together various states that spoke different dialects, practiced varied ideologies and were adamant to remain standalone entity. But the iron man had a purpose; an idea that was difficult to conceive forget about materializing it but we know what his “will force” did. He was inspired for a greater purpose, come what may.
Nelson Mandela’s indomitable spirit to provide equal rights for the natives of South Africa and to end apartheid inspired him to fight for 28 years. There was no YouTube at that time I guess for motivational videos! To inspire you all, here is a contemporary example.
Shaumya Sharma, a 23 year old law graduate of National Law University, New Delhi is now an IAS officer.She started preparing in Feb-2017, but the road to success introduced many hurdles that demanded a very strong will to pass them; and Shaumya displayed a fighting spirit. It all went well till PT but in Mains viral fever gripped her and she was in constant pain that affected her neck area and it extended till the wrist. She couldn’t pick up the pen. Physiotherapy, Electric shock and painkillers, such dreaded options were suggested for relief but nothing worked.
Somehow she would drag herself to the examination hall to write her papers. With the passage of time she endured the worse. While writing her Mains, during lunch she was supported on saline drip in her van and body temperature won’t fall below 102-03 degree. She lost her hearing ability partially too during childhood. Despite early setbacks and the horror she faced during exams she excelled wonderfully and defeated the negatives. How? She explained that idea of serving people and proving my naysayers wrong inspired her to persist without complain. Shaumya had a purpose, a higher calling. What’s yours?
*Develop Daily Discipline:

It turns out to be progressively harder to be trained in a general public that prizes moment satisfaction. We are more worried about feeling great constantly, so we look for prompt joys, regardless of whether it's another auto, an extraordinary outing or another accomplice. Our long haul objectives are not all that essential any longer. We get settled and sit tight for a unique occasion to give our lives significance, bliss and achievement. But if your goal demands long term play you can’t refrain from the idea of building a daily discipline. Discipline is the distinction between being responsible for your future and giving your condition a chance to direct your fate. Make a standard that turns out to be second nature, programmed, typical. Competitors in various athletics, for instance, realize what hours they should prepare, when to break for noon and dinnertime, and when to rest. By following a similar schedule they prepare themselves to win. Arranging your own schedule and sticking to it will help you for daily progress as well.
* Sense The “Flow” And Exploit It To The Maximum:

Before telling about the “flow” formally let me ask you something. Did you find that soda in your hand getting back to the room temperature while watching your favorite movie or a sitcom? How often it has happened that coiled up in a single posture you finished a novel that you find difficult to put off? Or even before realizing the first thing in the morning you did was get up and start revising your notes not pout of pressure but you thought that’s what  you need to do. In the above mentioned scenario the subject is in the “flow” state of mind.
Known to the Indian sages and monks in ancient time and popularized by the modern psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi- can you pronounce this name, I can’t!, “flow” is the mental state where a person is completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing a musical instrument. Your whole being is involved, and you are using your skills to the utmost. How to develop this state of mind? Over learning a skill or concept can help people experience flow. Another critical concept is the idea of slightly extending oneself beyond one’s current ability level. This slight stretching of one’s current skills can help individual experience flow. Meditation attunes you to the “Flow” state naturally.

* Take Only A Slice Of Your BIG Goal:

While it's extraordinary to have a goal-oriented objective to go for, on the off chance that you invest excessively energy mulling over the immense separation between where you stand now and where you need to get to, there's a truly decent hazard that you'll never begin on it. In all actuality, aspiring objectives can be as scary and debilitating as they can be moving and persuading. The key to influencing them to wake up is to separate your huge objective into bunches of littler advances that will bit by bit get you to where you need to be – and spotlight on them. This is called 'lumping' or breaking your goals into smaller piece. Each time you recognize a littler objective, check whether that can be separated into smaller than expected goals. By consistently working over from all that you have to influence your objective to happen, you can create tasks and a time frame.
* Find your clock:

There comes a point when however hard you try, by looking at other’s success and euphoria generated around it will force you to question why you couldn’t make it. Probably their strategies were better or luck smiled. This shouldn’t frustrate you. We all are in different time zone so far as meeting success is concerned. The world is full of examples where we see a genius at the age of 10 while many struggle till half of their making a decent bend in their life; only to surprise naysayers in their latter year. Some succeeds early, some latter but you get closer to your set goals if you are honestly pursuing it. Whatever may be the end results of your effort remember: If you win, celebrate; If you couldn’t hit the bull’s-eye you know you have trained so hard that you can be a guru to others. Either way you win.