Written by: Jana Shaheen
Edited by: Ahmed Ashry
Graphic designed by: Maram Mohammed.
If there’s ONE thing that keeps us all going in our life and gives us a purpose to wake up every day (iced coffee excluded) , it would be our goals. And it’s fascinating how they differ from one person to another! You might be aiming for anything such as high grades or weight loss or even reading more books a month. However, as much as these goals truly keep us alive and motivated, why do most of us fail to achieve them?
The truth is that we have not mastered the art of building habits. I am no psychiatrist but it’s more than obvious that anyone would be extremely motivated during the first week of progressing towards that goal. But after that? You already know how it goes: you get distracted and unmotivated. AND BOOM! you’re back to step 1 and now you’ve got to work towards this goal again.
The only way to ensure that achieving your goals is a success is by simply building a habit out of it.
Do you want to read a lot of books this month? Make a habit out of reading every day. Do you want to lose weight and reach a target weight? Start adding exercise programs to your week and stick to it!
However, even the art of building a habit is a little tricky on its own, and that’s where the tips and tricks come in to help you build your habits and stick to them.
1) Set a low standard for yourself
The trick to being consistent with your habits is to start easy and then add difficulty to it every day! For example, if you want to lose weight, instead of making yourself train every single day and do intense workouts, you should limit it to 1-2 times per week. This makes it easier for you to stick to your habit and get accustomed to it in a healthy way.
2) Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses
There will always be obstacles giving you plenty of excuses to stop your habit or get discouraged from it. So it’s always best to identify these obstacles and find solutions for them to actively pursue your goal! Additionally, knowing the times when you are most energetic or the places which make you most motivated to continue your goal should be kept in mind to enrichen your habits.
3) Reward yourself, even on the small steps
We often forget to compare ourselves now to our past selves. Even if you’ve been building this habit of yours for a few days, you need to reward yourself with kind words and even occasional treats. These will act as small milestones that will motivate you to stay consistent with your habits on the long run.
4) Write it down!
Put pen to paper and write your habits down in any form. Draw a vision board of your goal, write a checklist of the habit you’ll be practicing every day, and stick it to your wall. Studies prove that writing things down makes you feel more productive and drive you to pursue your habit even more. It also acts as a reminder to stick to your habits.
5) Tell a friend to join along
It’s time to put your friends to the test and partner with them on this productive journey! Even with different goals, having a friend that will constantly remind you of your bad and good days to practice your habit is an excellent method. It makes you feel like you’re not alone on this and gives you extra support.
With those 5 golden tips, you can ensure that your goal will be within your reach and that you can stick to your habits easily. No matter how big or how small your goals are, as long as you got a game plan for how you’ll approach them, you’ll be unstoppable!
