Welcome back!
Last time you created a to-do list… and then you started taking action. Even if you have a lot of momentum going (which is typical in the beginning of an exciting new project), that emotional high and excitement you’re riding tends to fade. Suddenly you’re not moving forward as quickly. You might even grind to a halt and feel stuck.
If so, don’t worry! That’s because over the next several lessons you’ll get plenty of advice for what to do when you’re feeling stuck. Read on…
Writing Down Your Goal
I know what you’re thinking – you’ve already written down your goal! Indeed, you’ve written it down, listed what makes you scared about this goal, played the “what if” game and you’ve even created your plans and to-do lists that will help you achieve this goal. In other words, it seems like you’ve done more than enough when it comes to writing down your goal!
True, for some people it is enough. Just the act of writing it down makes it more official. That’s because writing down a goal takes it from being a mere thought in your head to an actual idea you’d like to accomplish. It’s like you’re telling yourself, “Self, I’m serious about this goal.” And this is all that’s needed for some people.
But it doesn’t work for everyone. For some, writing a goal down doesn’t make it concrete. This is especially true for people who do a lot of writing. Indeed, they may even view that written goal as a “brainstorm” rather than a commitment. So having the goal on paper doesn’t motivate them in the slightest.
If this sounds like you, then it’s time to make your goal official. It’s time for you to state your intentions clearly and commit to achieving that goal. And one way to do that is by making a contract with yourself.
I’m talking about a literal contact here. I want you to type up a contract that includes:
- Your name.
- Today’s date.
- Your intentions and goals.
- How you plan to meet these goals.
- The deadline you’ve set for yourself.
For example:
Today’s Date:
I ____ (your name)____ fully intend to ____(insert your goal)_____ on or before ____(date)____. I will achieve this goal by ____(list your plan for achieving the goal)_____.
___________________ ________________________
(your signature) (today’s date)
Next, you should print your contract off and sign it and date it at the bottom. Then hang a copy of this contract someplace where you’ll see it multiple times per day. One of the best places is to hang it near your computer.
Don’t just look at this contract every day. Instead, be sure to actually say it out loud. Renew that contract with yourself on a daily basis. You may even create an affirmation that’s based on your contract, something like: “I am so grateful now that [insert the goal here as if you’ve already achieved it]!”
That’s it for this time. Next time you’ll discover a slick trick that makes it easy to keep moving forward!