A Simple Trick That Will Help You Reach Your Goals

Do you struggle with setting goals, and actually reaching them?

Time and time again you set lofty goals for yourself, only to watch yourself get off track over and over again.

You went on vacation, and there weren’t any healthy meal options available. You took that opportunity to end the torture you were putting yourself through, and stuffed your face with all of the fatty foods you could get your paws on.

Bye-bye new diet!

You were waking up at 6AM for a week straight; until you realized it would require the sacrifice of those late night hang out sessions with your friends to keep it up.

Sayonara sunrise!

You’ve tried and tried over and over again to reach your goals, but for some reason you keep getting distracted along the way.

Well, you can kiss those days goodbye! I present you with the solution to all your goal setting woes.

Focus on how the goal you’ve set improves your life in the present moment, rather than focusing on the hard work and suffering it will take for you to reach it in the future.

Tah dah! It’s really that simple.

How it Changed My Life

Prior to this shift in perspective, I struggled with goal-setting for a long, long time. I had so many challenging changes I wanted to make to my life. But every time I set goals that would help me implement these changes, I would eventually get distracted and fall off track.

I tried writing my goals down and reading them to myself every morning. I tried making my goals measurable and attainable. I used up my entire tank of self-discipline and motivation on the pursuit of reaching my lofty goals.

I still failed over and over again.

I was beginning to think the whole goal-setting process wasn’t for me, when I luckily happened to stumble upon the perspective of “focus on how a goal improves the quality of your present moment” while reading Steve Pavlina’s wonderful new book.

For the longest time I had wanted to create a daily routine that facilitated my productivity throughout the day.

For the longest time I had wanted to hit the gym every morning and do at least 30 minutes of cardio, so I could work my way down to 8% body fat.

For the longest time I had wanted to get back to writing high quality articles for this site, so I could make progress towards creating the career of my dreams.

This new perspective has allowed me to start moving in the direction necessary to reach each of these goals, and I know I’ll reach them this time. My mind is zoned in on how each one improves the quality of my life right now, so there’s no more mental struggle involved. I no longer adopt goals that cause me pain and suffering in the present moment because, well, what’s the point in subjecting myself to such torture in the first place?

No Improvement? Drop it!

This is one of the most important points of this perspective. Stop adopting goals that cause you pain and suffering in the present moment. Instead, adopt goals that improve the quality of your present moment. Sometimes you don’t have to change your goals at all to make this happen. All that may be required is a simple shift in focus.

For example, I used to dread going to the gym every morning and working out because I was always focused on how long it would take me to reach my goal of slimming down to 8% body fat. I was always looking to the future for salvation, while I viewed the present moment as a form of torture. Eventually it required way too much self-discipline for me to keep up my routine, and I gave up.

After applying the new perspective, however, I now focus on how productive and healthy I feel during and after my workout. I know that whenever I decide to head to the gym for some early morning cardio, I will receive immediate benefits. Why wouldn’t I want to hit the gym every morning when I feel this way?

Here’s another example. I used to feel like writing articles for this site was a drag because I was so focused on when I was going to make enough money to support myself with the site’s income. The results didn’t come as soon as I expected, and it wasn’t long before I gave up.

After applying the new perspective, however, I now focus on the awesome feeling I get knowing I’m progressively creating the career of my dreams by writing these articles. I also focus on the amazing feeling I get knowing I’m providing substantial value to my readers. Why wouldn’t I want to write articles for this site when I feel this way?

Examine Your Goals

Write down a list of the goals you want to reach in the next 3 months. While doing so, focus on how each one improves the quality of your present moment.

Does the goal motivate you? Does it inspire you? Does it excite you? Does it make you feel more productive? If you can’t find a reasonable answer to how it improves the quality of your present moment, drop it.

If you already have a list of goals written down somewhere, apply this perspective to each goal on your list. Cross out the goals you feel don’t improve the quality of your present moment, and replace them with new ones that do.

Remember, sometimes all it takes to move a goal from the “torture” column to the “improvement” column is a simple shift of perspective. Can you focus on the aspect of the goal that improves the quality of your present moment, rather than focusing on the aspect that makes it feel like a grind? If this tactic doesn’t work, then obviously you must drop the goal.

Don’t Make it Harder Than it Should Be

Forget about making goals measurable and attainable. Forget about reciting your goals to yourself every morning. Forget about applying and expending tremendous amounts of self-discipline and willpower in the process of reaching your goals.

None of this is necessary.

Choose to focus on how the goals you set improve the quality of your present moment, and you’ll never find it difficult again to stay on track to reaching these goals. There’s nothing we human beings love more than instant gratification, and what better way to give that to yourself day in and day out than to apply this perspective to the pursuit of reaching your goals?

Don’t make reaching your goals harder than it should be. It really is this simple.

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