How to achieve mindful goals in simple steps

When you start living more mindfully the question you might be pondering upon: ‘if you’re living mindfully, doesn’t that mean you’ll never achieve anything?’.

The short answer is, not at all.

The key is to create mindful goals and as well as being focused on achieving those goals, remembering to enjoy the here and now.

Here are five simple strategies that work best for me.

1. Align your goals with your values and strengths

Sometimes we go after the wrong goals. We choose things that matter to other people or goals that require strengths that we simply don’t have.

Dont ignore the little niggles and don't go along with anyone's vision but yours. 

The question to ask is -- is what I do making me happy and am I using my strengths?

When you come back to your values of inner harmony and creativity you will discover what works for you what isn't.

This will free you up to focus on the strengths that you  already have and on the ones you are actually interested in developing.

Make sure you know your strengths and your values and choose goals that are really right for you.

2. Break your goals down into actionable steps

Once you’ve chosen the right goals, writing them out as SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-framed) is important but

goals are nothing without action steps.

Choose one small thing you can do today.

Start by thinking about one thing that you can do immediately to move you in the direction of one of your goals – and do it. 

Revisit your top three goals every morning and identify one small action step for each of them every day.

Remember, don’t talk about the actions – do them.

3. Don’t sacrifice today for tomorrow

Living mindfully means enjoying the journey as much as the destination. 

Try to avoid the ‘I’ll be happy when…’ game and be careful not to judge yourself harshly as you go about achieving your goals.

Remember to look for the things that are already wonderful in your life that you could miss if you’re solely focused on the future. It’s important not to wait until another day to choose happiness.

4. Hang in there

One of the most common mistakes people make with goal setting is to give up too soon. I know when I started out in my business, I set some lofty goals and then felt pretty deflated when I didn’t achieve them in my ideal time frames.

Step back and double-check that your goals are realistic. If they are, review your action steps. 

Are you doing the right things or can you try something different?

Rather than beating yourself up – spend some time every day focusing on what is going well to keep your energy positive.

5. Get some support

Reach out and ask for help – you don’t need to do everything on your own.

At different times we need different kinds of support.  If your energy levels are low, talk to a naturopath. If you need to create more calm in your life, change your relationship with stress and food maybe I can help. Here is more. 

You may not need professional assistance – reach out to a friend and let them know you need a hand. People love to help, sometimes we just need to remember to ask.