TGIF everybody!
We are finally on our last installment of our 4-part series of making a change. In the previous steps, we spoke about identifying areas where we want to change, reallocating our resources to accommodate the changes, and evaluated our action plan. Through the previous steps, we made an action plan to start on our process of change. In today’s article, we will delve into some of the details of the plan and also look at how we can maintain these changes.
Taking small steps towards the big goal
In the previous articles, we spoke about having long-term and short-term goals. But did you guess why we would classify our goals into long-term and short-term goals? Well, other than the fact that short-term goals need a shorter time to achieve, the main characteristics of short-term goals are that they are within reach. These are the changes that can be done right now. On the contrary, long-term goals take a longer time and they require more adjustments to your life. Long-term goals may feel overwhelming and impossible to achieve. Hence, instead of focusing on how impossible the goal may feel to us, we can make short-term goals in the direction of our long-term goal. Therefore, allowing us to take smaller steps towards what we want, instead of being too afraid to or feeling like there is no point in even trying.
Measurable goals
Goals have to be specific and measurable for us to know whether we achieved them. In our previous example, May’s long-term goal was to learn how to play drums by 31 Dec 2022. This goal is specific however, it is not measurable. To make these goals measurable, May would have to define what ‘learn to play the drums’ means to her. A more measurable goal for May would be to identify a specific beat that she wants to learn by 31 Dec 2022.
Now, let us review her short-term goals. Which of the following do you think has to be corrected?
Sign up for drum classes by 1 April 2022
Watch 3 youtube videos on how to play the drums a week
Practice the motions 3 times a week for 30 minutes to improve her coordination
Refining goals
In the first goal, May will have to specify the number of classes that she intends to sign up for. In the second goal, instead of just watching 3 Youtube videos, May can use this time to look for beats that she is interested in learning. This will then lead to her third goal of practicing the chosen beat three times a week for 30 minutes to improve her coordination.
As you make your short-term goals, you will have to be conscious of how each of these goals would contribute to the long-term goal.
Sustaining change
The process of change can be difficult and hard to maintain. It is always easier to stay status quo. Hence, to help us maintain the change, we will have to hold ourselves accountable and have systems in place to hold us accountable for our actions. Here are some tips on how we can do that.
Firstly, to hold ourselves accountable, we have to be truthful to ourselves. We celebrate when we achieve our goals and we review when we do not. There is no reason to make excuses for ourselves when we do not. Thus, when things do not go as planned, we should reflect and find out why. Was the goal too hard to achieve or was I too busy to commit to what I set out to do? By reflecting on these questions, it would allow us to make adjustments accordingly. Let us set ourselves up for success! If our short-term goals are too unattainable right now, review and let’s make new, attainable short-term goals.
Secondly, have a friend to check on your progress. As we may slip up or be lenient with ourselves, having external support would provide us with the supervision that would push us to keep achieving our short-term goals. However, this should be done only if you are comfortable with asking another person to help you with your goal.
Thirdly, when you do not reach your goal, do not stop trying! As Albert Einstein said “you never fail until you stop trying”, use the steps that we have gone through, review and redefine if need be. Set yourself up for success, make goals that would push you towards your long-term goal.
Rewarding yourself
Making change and maintaining change can be a tiring process. Therefore, we shall set some rewards so that we have something to look forward to. The process is pretty straightforward. Make a list of things that makes you happy, then pick one thing out of the list when you achieve your goal! It can become complicated if the reward that you want is in conflict with your goals.
In May’s case, the things that make her happy are to visit new fancy restaurants and have drinks with her friends. However, constantly going out would cause a financial strain and also lack of time to practice her drumming. Hence, the reward will have to be compromised. Instead of visiting fancy restaurants and having drinks, May can choose to have meals at restaurants and bars that are of different price ranges. This way, May can still enjoy the novelty of the restaurants and her friends’ company.
Congratulations on making it to the last part of the series. We hope that these steps have been useful in helping you initiate change and make a plan of your own. As you commit to the new you, the most important thing is to never stop trying. Keep moving towards your long-term goal and by the end of the year, you will be closer to it than you were at the start.
Thank you for joining us so far. Stay tuned for other exciting topics that we will cover throughout the year!