A couple days ago, I had the opportunity to watch the Chiefs play the Patriots in Kansas City. This game was intense from start to finish, and kept me on my toes through the entire game. Even though the Chiefs lost, they put every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears into that game and left it all on the field.
Life is very similar to the Chiefs game on Sunday night. We might put everything we have into life, and yet, sometimes we will still come up short. It does not always seem fair when that happens, but unfortunately, that’s life.
Just because we came up short this time, does not mean we lost the fight though. Life is a battle of the good and the bad, and we can’t let ourselves give up after losing one round. Statistically, about 3 weeks into the New Year is when people start to give up on their new year’s resolutions. Are you part of that statistic? Did you already give up when your resolution seemed too hard?
How incredible would it feel to have put everything you had into that one promise you hoped you would keep for yourself and actually made it happen?
Today, in my post, I will be talking about Giving up, and why we should push ourselves to stop giving up on our goals. If we go through life doing what we have always done, but expecting a different result, how will we ever get there if we don’t strive for better?
Giving up can range from small things to huge and daunting goals. Success does not happen overnight though, and IT. TAKES. WORK. In order to make success happen in your life, one must strive for it. They must work for it. There are no excuses in the game of life, because guess what? Life will come at you from all angles and you better be ready for it.
Here are some tips to help improve your success and keep your striving towards your goals:
1) Write down your goals and put them in a place you can see them every day.
By doing this, you are providing a constant reminder to yourself to keep up with your goals. Writing it down has been proven to help you remember things easier, and if you place it in a spot where you can see it daily, it gives you a physical reminder, as well, to hold yourself accountable. Another idea if you enjoy being creative, is creating a dream board. This can include visuals of your goals, and ways you can achieve them. It could also include role models that you look up to for what you are trying to achieve.
2) Track your progress.
If we didn’t track your progress, then did progress even happen?! Okay that is a joke, but honestly, tracking your progress can help you remember why you started. It can also show you how far you have come, which in turn will help you to keep going. If you do not track your progress, then when your goals get tough, it is that much easier to give up on yourself and fall back into those constant habits.
3) Celebrate the small victories.
Celebrating your small victories can give you motivation to keep going. Sometimes our goals are a journey, and getting to the end may feel like it will never come, so in order to get there, celebrate those tiny victories. Those victories can be anything that makes you proud of your progress. You can choose to celebrate these victories in any way that makes you keep moving forward. By focusing on smaller goals along the way to your main goal, this breaks up that daunting time frame, that seems like you will never get to the end of your goals.
4) Find an accountability Partner.
Finding someone to hold you accountable can help tremendously when trying to achieve that level of success you’re looking for. By doing so, this person is there to keep you reaching for your goals, even when you feel like giving up. They also push you to try harder, when you did not think you were capable of that level of strength. We are never given a task to accomplish on our own. Surround yourself with a strong and driven support system.
5) Do not give up, even if you give in.
What I mean by this, is even if you let yourself give in every once in a while to whatever is holding you back from accomplishing your goals (procrastination, eating that piece of cake, smoking, drinking, etc.), realize that you have gotten off track, then keep on chasing your goal. You may fail many times along the way. It happens to everyone. Not just you. Push yourself to be that better version of yourself. Each day is a new day to try again. Giving in does not mean giving up!!
In order to strive for better, we must expect better of ourselves. Just because we have been handed these cards in life, does not mean we cannot change them. Life is not about standing still, but about moving forward.
