Turning Goals Into Micro-Goals
You have a goal that you have set for yourself. CONGRATULATIONS. That is the first step into creating your dream life. You have written down your goal. In essence, you have created something from nothing. Now is the task of accomplishing this goal. Breaking down this goal into minuscule day goals might seem ridiculous. When I first did this, I thought to myself “seriously? What is this craziness?”. But there is something about breaking down a goal into daily ‘so small that you need a microscope to see the changes’ goals. There is science behind this phenomenon.
Turns out, our brains enjoy autopilot. Makes sense, really. There is so much stimulation in this world. Not just the internet and everything it contains, but also in the actual world. There are flowers, trees, sidewalks, roads, cars, bicycles, pedestrians, houses, fields, buildings, clouds, and the list goes forever. Not only that but each item has various sub items within them, all flowers are not alike for example. Our brain, while one of the most amazing organs in our bodies, quickly organizes and files away this information. It does this so efficiently that it prefers to run on autopilot. Which makes the job of taking on a new goal seem daunting at first to your brain. It has to reprocess and reorganize and reshape your previous behaviors and patterns. This is where setting and creating micro-goals will help accomplish the larger goal. The word micro means ‘very small’. So that your brain doesn’t resist all the new changes, it maybe helpful to simply make one very small change in your day/routine/life. This process is not going to get you quick, instant results. But it will get you long lasting sustaining results because it allows your brain to ‘adjust’ to these changes in a subtle way. Nearly all of us have had the new years goal and we give it 150% right away and completely overhaul our life to create our “perfect” ideal life. Which for most of us, these changes last about 2ish weeks before we fall back into our previous habits/patterns/routines. Setting up micro-goals allows for a tiny daily change, which in turn allows your brain to think “oh, this is super easy, I can accomplish this one tiny thing and go back to my easy peasy lemon squeezy life”.
My personal example of this is mornings. I had a moment where I thought “this is it, this is what will cure me of my low self esteem and enable me to finally conquer my life. I will wake up at 5am and do all the things I need to do”. And I totally did. For about 2 weeks. Then I went back to waking up at my normal time, about 8am. Using the 30 Day Challenger journal, I broke it down into smaller goals that my brain was less resist to. Now, this did take time, but I get up at 5am, walk for 3 miles, journal about gratefulness, and write about topics that interest me. I do this before my kids wake up.
Looking at your goals and making them micro is one technique that can assist you to accomplish your goals.
Until next time,
Heather
Day 2 in our 30 day January 2020 challenge
Daniel, Kathy, and I have been posting videos documenting the start of our January 2020 challenge. Day 2 is all about accountability.
We all want to be accountable. Accountability means “an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s own actions” (Miriam Webster). What does accountability look like to you? For me, I usually respond better when it is other’s holding me accountable. My husband holds himself accountable which I believe is a gift. While listening to high performers, it seems they hold themselves accountable. But I tend to perform and do better when someone holding it for me, even if they don’t know they are doing it. For example, I write these blogs. There is no one going to check on me, but I have created this idea in my mind that if I don’t write these then I am responsible for the inaction. How does accountability work for you? How are you going to use the 30 Day Challenger to set up someone that will hold you accountable? Think about who in your life would be able to hold you accountable without judging or pushing or nagging.
For me, I need the right person to hold me accountable. Not someone who will make me feel like a dirtbag because I didn’t do it or I fell short, but someone who is able to take the time and know the progress I have had and encourage the progress growth. I can get caught up in the daily actions. “oh, I didn’t do it today, I guess the whole thing is shot”. This is a dramatic thought, but one that I have to take captive. Every single moment is a new time to start. Every. Single. Moment. What are you doing right now? Why are you reading this blog? Stop reading it and take the 5 minutes to work on your goal. Yes, I hope that you are reading our content for inspiration, challenge ideas, why this works. But ultimately, I want for you to take control back. Stop reading the internet, watching the videos, and checking the media, news or social. Find someone that will help you take responsibility for your actions or set up mind tricks that will allow you to hold yourself accountable if you need that. Then start your life. Use the 30 Challenger to identify what kind of accountability you have in place for yourself right now. Then use that knowledge to set up a system or a process where you are ultimately responsible for your actions.
Until the next time,
Heather
Goal Ideas
When I started setting goals for myself, I did not know where to start. I had just had my 2nd baby and although I knew the importance of setting goals I was in the baby trenches.
Where do you start? Start Here
We are a family team consisting of Daniel, Heather, and Kathy.