Have you ever set a goal and found that the mountain was just too big to climb? Did you lose motivation half way up? Well you most-likely missed out on those critical celebratory milestones. When we stop and take a look, it is clear that milestones are all around us. The difference is that there are some we don’t plan for, some we neglect to recognize, and yet others that are strategically placed in our goal-setting plan.
A vision for the future is probably the biggest goal you will set. In order to stay focused, motivated, and on track, you need to break down these big goals to help you reach your overall vision. Celebrating your milestones is one of the biggest intrinsic motivators that can keep you energized and allows you to get closer to your goals.
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One of the main reasons we experience stress in our business is that we get overwhelmed by the larger goals that we’ve set for ourselves. We don’t plan for the smaller milestones or simply neglect to recognize and celebrate them as we go. This leads us straight into complete overwhelm because we are constantly looking at the “big mountain” that we have yet to climb.
This holds true in other aspects of our lives as well. For example, when I are out for a jog and it’s a new route, I often find myself getting a lot more tired because I have no “milestones” to aim for. When there is no clear, recognizable milestone in sight, you start to feel aimless and your motivation to go on starts to dwindle. However, on a familiar jogging route there are numerous milestones that I can recognize and celebrate as I pass each one by.
Although goal-setting can be incredibly fruitful and allow us to achieve more than we thought we were capable of, we still have to be aware of how we perceive these goals and our overall approach or plan for getting there. Let’s explore these 6 ways in which celebrating your milestones can help you achieve your business goals.
1. Intrinsic Motivation
Many studies have shown that we are much less-likely to be motivated by extrinsic motivators, or the “carrot-on-a-stick” motivation technique. Our real drive comes from intrinsic motivation, knowing that we’ve accomplished something great and seeing the results of our hard work. Breaking down larger goals and celebrating each milestone as it is complete can be a great source of motivation to continue the “climb up the mountain” towards achieving your ultimate goals.
2. Filters Out Negative Distractions
Often times along our journey towards reaching our goals, as time goes by there can be many changes to our circumstances and we may even lose sight of why we are working towards our particular goal in the first place. Milestones can be a great way to help keep us on track, and filter out any negative influencers that may deter us from our goal-path. Short-term, identifiable milestones can help remind us of why we are doing what we do, and can reiterate the importance of the path that we are on.
3. Banishes Overwhelm
Overwhelm is almost unavoidable when all you have is a big scary goal set out in front of you. It can make you feel like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, and before you know it you are drowning in overwhelm. Milestones helps take your focus off of the big “mountain”, and instead it allows you to focus on smaller, more do-able goal-points. Achieving these milestones enables you to grow in self-confidence and banishes that feeling of quitting. By eliminating the overwhelm you can remain focused and level-headed about achieving your goals.
4. Measures Progress
Another way to view progress is to see it as “results”. One of the greatest indicators of success is to look back on where you’ve started and to see just how far you’ve come. This progress is a major motivator to continue on your path towards achieving your goals.
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[fancy_box id=2]Suggested Read: The Importance of Looking Back to Appreciate the Journey[/fancy_box]
5. Fosters Personal Accountability
Along with measuring your progress, milestones can also indicate which areas of the plan need more focus and attention. This personal accountability creates a discipline in your methods and process, which allows you to grow as a leader and business owner. We often times struggle with accountability in critical areas in our lives. Creating and practicing accountability with smaller, more manageable milestones can enable you to build healthy habits that will carry through in the larger areas of your life.
6. Allows for Learning and Re-evaluting
Business and life is all about learning, growing, and evolving. When dealing with life plans and business goals, we are often faced with challenging changes that can severely alter the course of our goal-setting plans. Learning to embrace flexibility and allow for a time of reevaluation to take place. Often times our visions change, and we need to let go of certain goals in order to find a new course or path for our business to flourish and grow. This is where milestones can really help you to reflect, and re-evaluate where necessary.
[fancy_box id=2]Suggested Read: The Importance of Flexibility and How I Incorporate it Into My Business[/fancy_box]
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- How have you incorporated the use of milestones in achieving your goals? Share in the comments below.
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As always, desire to inspire!
Xx
Carli
Featured Image: Shutterstock
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