The 15 questions you need to ask yourself to succeed at your goals
Reaching for a goal is a bit more complex than just stating you want something to happen in your life.
Preparing your mindset and asking yourself specific questions can help give you clarity, purpose, and direction to become a master at reaching your goals.
To dominate your goals, I believe, takes a holistic approach. It isn’t simply about writing down a goal; you must think about whom you need to become and how you will get there.
What Are The Resources That Will Help Me Achieve This Goal?
A lack of resources can be an important reason you feel your goals are out of reach.
Many goals consume our time, energy, or finances, and we may be lacking in one or all of those categories.
However, I want to encourage you that even if you lack specific resources, don’t let that reason hinder your success.
There are many ways to reach the same outcome, but you may need to get creative and shift your mindset.
For example, when I first began my business, I had no idea how to build a website. It took several hours of watching YouTube videos and reading numerous articles to teach myself how to go about the process.
Although I could have paid a professional to do it, it wasn’t a viable option at the time. Instead of waiting, I took the action steps I had control over.
Do your best not to get hung up on what you’re lacking but instead explore different avenues to help you reach your goals. There is more than one path that takes you to success.
Who Can I Emulate To Motivate Myself?
For many of us, we may find ourselves alone when we first begin a goal.
If you don’t have a lot of people in your circle that have a similar goal, think about the different options you have that can keep you motivated.
Even reading articles like this one can help you feel that you’re not alone. Plenty of us are on a mission to reach our goals. 🙂
Take the time to find people through social media, private groups, or meetups who have the same vision as you do. It can be a person you watch On YouTube or a person whose podcast you enjoy listening to. What behaviors or traits did they instill when trying to reach the same goal you have set for yourself?
Although your path won’t look exactly like theirs, there are commonalities amongst successful people who have reached their goals.
You should never feel alone as I assure you there are plenty of people with similar goals. And collectively, you will find you are more successful when you have people cheering you on in your corner.
Is This A Personal Goal, Or Is This A Goal Society Is Pressuring Me To Do?
We will have more success in life when the goals we have planned are personal to us, not society or what the world around us is trying to convince us to do.
Before you embark on any goal, make sure that the goal is important to you.
Follow your passion and let your intuition guide you instead of succumbing to what society tries to make you believe.
What Skills Do I Need To Sharpen?
As I mentioned before, who you need to become is just as important as how you will achieve your goals.
Let me explain.
After you’ve written down your goal, think about who you need to become to be successful in achieving that goal.
Do you need to be good at public speaking?
Do you need to have more energy?
Do you need to be more organized?
Make a list of all the skills you need to obtain that will help you.
It doesn’t matter if you’re not great at those skills yet.
What’s most important is that you recognize your weaknesses and are willing to progress in those areas.
Who Are The Five People I Spend The Most Time With?
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, “We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.”
Go ahead, list those five people and ask yourself, will these people help support me and encourage me to reach my goal?
The relationships you surround yourself with can have huge implications on your habits and the outcome of your success.
Be thinking about these five people and have an honest conversation with yourself.
Is it time to make room for new relationships in your life?
If so, that is perfectly ok.
Do I Currently Have A Fixed Mindset Or A Growth Mindset?
Do you know the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset?
It is important that you support yourself by adopting a growth mindset if you are serious about reaching your goals.
The reason being is that a fixed mindset causes a person to believe that their qualities, talents, and intelligence are unchangeable. For that reason, a fixed mindset is detrimental to your growth.
Yet, the complete opposite is true when you have a growth mindset.
When you have a growth mindset, you believe you can learn new skills through practice, proper habits, and preparation.
Want more information on how you can get better at a growth mindset? Read more tips here
What Are The Things I Must Be Willing To Give Up?
More often than not, the things we must be willing to give up are just as important as the habits and behaviors we need to adapt.
For example, if you are looking to adopt the habit of becoming an early morning runner, you may have to forgo late-night TV watching.
Make a list of the things you need to shift away from.
I can reassure you that the things that tend to make us the most comfortable are the things that tend to get in the way.
Am I Prepared To Fail?
Success is not linear. There will be many ups and downs on your journey towards personal growth. Your potential is limitless, but you must be willing to acknowledge that the road to being successful comes with setbacks and hardships.
However, failure isn’t a bad thing.
Instead, know it is bound to happen. Most people who have been successful will tell you they had to experience multiple failures before arriving at where they are today.
Expecting failure will make the process much more comfortable for you.
How Will I Stay Consistent?
Consistency is one of the most essential behaviors we need to have to reach our goals.
It’s better to show up in simple ways over and over instead of going hard and then giving up. It’s all about slow, steady growth.
Think about it this way, say you have set a fitness goal. Is it more important to strive for 10-20 minutes of daily exercise or to work out for an hour every few weeks?
Many people think that small baby steps won’t get you very far but over time, consistently showing up for yourself is where real growth happens.
How Will I Mitigate Distractions?
Distractions are constantly pulling at our attention. To get to where we want to go, we must learn how to be crystal clear about where we are headed.
The truth is that most of our time, scrolling aimlessly, staring at our screens with no clear direction but absorbing content is something we could all live without.
Accomplishing your goals requires deep work. Stay committed to your growth and get clear with what you want.
Your time is valuable.
By now, you may be thinking, how do I mitigate distractions?
A few recommendations during deep work:
Silence your cell phone
Turn your phone upside down, so you don’t see the phone light up
Set a timer when you are on social media so you can catch up with friends but be purposeful with your scroll and are not over-consuming.
Don’t let your goals fall through the cracks because you have allowed yourself to be distracted.
Is The Goal I Have Planned Realistic?
Big thinking is wonderful, but we must also have concrete expectations.
For example, if we begin a new job and only six months have passed, it’s probably not realistic to think we will automatically be able to get a promotion.
That’s not to say it’s impossible, but we must have an efficient and reasonable plan for our goals.
How Will My Actions Align With What I Am Trying To Achieve?
One of my all-time favorite quotes is by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who stated, “What You do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say.”
When we have a goal in mind, we must ensure that our actions align with our intentions.
Actions will always speak louder than words. Therefore, consider what you do as much as what you say.
Am I Getting Enough Sleep To Support My Goals?
Sleep is a crucial aspect of accomplishing your goals. Some of us may carry the belief that we can skimp on our rest so that we have more time to make our goals happen, but this is not a good idea.
Don’t count on catching up on the weekends as a strategy either, because forgoing sleep during the week will put you in a sleep debt, which is unhealthy.
Do your best to get at least seven hours of sleep each night.
Am I Giving Myself The Right Nutrition To Reach Peak Performance?
Nutrition plays an enormous part in our success. We will need to have the energy and behaviors in place to help us reach our goals.
If we often feel sluggish or unmotivated, you would be surprised how often it is because of the foods we consume or lack thereof.
We don’t have to be dietitians to know what a healthy snack verse an unhealthy snack is.
Ask yourself questions such as:
How can I add more fruits and vegetables to each of my meals?
Am I aware of how much sugar I am consuming each day?
Do I eat for pleasure or for the value the food provides me with?
Use food as a resource that will help give you the nutrients, minerals, and vitamins to help you succeed rather than slow you down.
Related: Seven Habits To Skyrocket Your Success Like A Boss
Where Do I Want To Be In Five Years?
First off, I want you to know this question is flexible.
Not all of us know exactly where we want to be in five years, and that’s ok.
Instead, ask the question that makes you excited but not overwhelmed.
Where do I want to be three years from now?
Where do I want to be one year from now?
Or even simpler…
How do I want to end this week?
The most crucial piece is thinking about what you want for your future self, not just who you are today.
Today’s actions affect tomorrow’s results; choose wisely.
What other mindset tips do you find helpful in reaching your goals? Let me know in the comments.
Other reads you may enjoy:
50 Goal Setting Ideas That Will Change Your Life
9 Powerful Steps To Become A Priority For Yourself
25 Empowering Quotes To Inspire You When You Need Encouragement
Amazing article!!