What to do When Achieving Your Goals Feels Difficult

When it comes to setting goals, you might reach a point where you start to feel frustrated if you aren’t meeting your goals.

I’ve realized that there are two mindset paths you can take when you feel frustrated with your progress toward achieving a goal:

Mindset Option One

You can beat yourself up over your perceived “failure.”

Mindset Option Two

You can take a step back to analyze your situation and why you are having a difficult time achieving your goals. Then, you can use this insight to reframe your goals and try again.

Option One is likely your default, as it is mine. This is unfortunate, as beating yourself up will only diminish your self-confidence and reinforce negative beliefs about yourself, making it even more difficult to realize your goals.

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Option Two, on the other hand, allows you to reset and change the way you view your goals, giving you a fighting chance at making positive shifts in your life. Here are the steps I’ve identified to help me make positive mindset shifts. I provided examples to go along with each step along with a free guide, so you can apply this strategy to your own life. You are welcome to take what works for you and substitute with your own tried and true self-care habits!

Free Mindset Shift Guide

Clear your head

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• Yoga
• Walking
• Meditation
• Spending time outside

Create a positive atmosphere

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• Candles/Essential oils
• High vibrational music/any feel-good music
• Blankets
• Comfy clothes

Journal

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• Get all your thoughts out
• List form – list any words that come to mind
• Describe how reaching this goal will make you feel
• Refocus on Why – Get clear on your motivations and intentions
• Focus on positive beliefs about yourself – You might want to brainstorm ways in which you are capable, able, consistent, etc.

The intention is to remind yourself of the reasons you are excited about this goal. Remember that you will have a much easier time if you are excited about your goals and actively reinforcing positive beliefs about yourself.

Create a Mood Board or Vision Board

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I know a lot of people like making vision boards. I find it more powerful to capture a certain vibe or feeling that accompanies an intention or goal, as opposed to manifesting specific, concrete objectives. I realized a mood board is more aligned with what I want to get out of this activity. I just hadn’t used that terminology before.

There are a lot of online resources, including blog articles, YouTube videos, TikToks, and a guide on Canva’s website, on how to create mood boards and vision boards. I started creating mood boards by finding images from Pinterest and putting them into a Canva template. This method is what has been feeling good to me. You are welcome to try it out or use your desired method of creating a vision board/mood board.

Disclaimer

All of these are suggestions based on what works for me. You are welcome to mix and match, toss in your own activities, or use none of them at all. You know what you need more than anyone else. At the very least, I hope my suggestions can inspire you to create your own action plan to shift your mood and achieve your goals! I also realize that not everyone has access to these forms of self-care. I acknowledge my privilege in that, and I feel hopeful that sharing my experience reaches others in a positive way and offers inspiration for whatever self-care activities are realistic. That is my goal for this blog.

Featured Image Photo by Castorly Stock: https://www.pexels.com/photo/iphone-with-a-lockscreen-saying-pause-and-reset-4114792/