Make Your Goals Be Your Rules

Have you noticed that it is much easier to keep other people focused and motivated than to motivate yourself? Do you find yourself wondering where the week went and why you didn’t get to do the things you really wanted to, the things that are most important to you?

No matter how busy you are there are ways to achieve the focus you need. You must make rules for yourself, rules that take priority, and accept no excuses.

First, set your immediate goals. Decide what you want to accomplish in a week, and be realistic. If your goals are set too high you may fail and not try again. If your goals are set too low you will not feel that sense of accomplishment. My goal for three of my horses is to ride one horse 5 days per week, one horse 4 days per week and one horse 3 days per week. Although I would like to ride each horse every day I know that is impossible. Setting a goal of no more than 5 days per week is attainable in the 7 days I have.

Don’t be afraid to set a minimum and a target goal, ones that you would feel good about accomplishing either way. I have set a minimum for the horse I ride 3 days a week, but my goal is up to 5 days. The “rule” is that 3 is the minimum, but when the opportunity arises and I achieve more I feel really good about it.

Next, set some long term goals so that you have extra motivation to keep up with the weekly rules. I have set a different goal for each of my horses. For instance, I want to take one horse to the dressage classic horse show. When I’m hot and tired and busy I think about that show and I know that I somehow need to just do the work!

When I start my day I do so with my rules (goals) firmly in mind. There is no question that these tasks must be done. Some days I get up early because I know I have a busy day ahead. Some days I have gone out after supper, in the cold of winter, to work one last horse because I haven’t yet achieved my goal for the day. It just isn’t an option not to do it.

Tip 1: Try to get as much done on the first day of the week as you can so that if a day comes along that gets super busy you can skip a chore and still achieve your weekly goal.

Tip 2: When scheduling appointments, etc., try to leave one free day towards the end of the week that you can use for catching up.

Tip 3: Don’t be too hard on yourself. When you are working on the last of your “reserves”, recognize the tremendous accomplishment of having found the time to perform your task, and let yourself off a bit easy. Sometimes when I’m tired and spent I may only ride for half an hour. I may only work on one task with my horse instead of several. When I’m done I feel good about keeping my rule, and I make up for the work another time.

Tip 4: Re-assess your rules regularly. You create rules to help you accomplish what’s important to you. If you find you have created unrealistic ones, or if you find yourself in a time where you need to adjust your priorities for a while, do it. It is much better to adjust your rules than to let them go. Every time you achieve the goals you set for yourself, and follow your own rules without breaking them, you boost your self esteem. Feeling good about yourself is the big goal in life. You can achieve all that you desire if you take the time to effectively organize your thoughts, goals, lifestyle and commitments.