How to Stay Motivated Toward Your Goals This Year

If you set a new year’s goal and haven’t been able to keep up—we get it. However, March is the perfect time to refresh your mindset and start working toward your goals again.

In this blog post, we’ll check in on two ACE team members who set New Year’s goals at the start of the year and see how they’ve stay motivated to reach their goals.

Checking in With Two of Our New Year’s Goal Setters

A few months ago, we asked five ACE team members about their New Year’s goals. Today, we’re checking in on their progress to find out how they’ve been able to maintain their motivation.

Jasmine: Saving for an Apartment

For Jasmine A., our social media intern, her goal was to save at least $2,000 for her first apartment. When asked how she has stayed motivated to reach her goal, this is what she had to say. “I always try my best to stay focused on my final goal,” says Jasmine. “Additionally, I try to stay positive and try not to be too hard on myself if I get off track.”

Jasmine recommends setting smaller, more attainable goals to help those that want to stick with the big goal over time. “I suggest setting mini goals,” Jasmine says. “This has worked best for me because as I reach each milestone, I give myself a small reward.”

Even when Jasmine gets off track or falls behind, she never lets that discourage her. Instead, she reevaluates what went wrong and how to succeed best the next time.

Victor: Reevaluating Family Insurance Coverage

Another ACE team member is Victor F., Vice President of Money Services. For his new year’s goal, Victor wanted to revisit his family’s insurance coverage to ensure that his family was getting covered at a reasonable rate.

To stay motivated to achieve his goals, Victor reframes his goal as a job instead. “I look at it as another job,” says Victor. “If I push myself to stay focused on the ongoing requirements, I will be ready when my needs require change, updates, or adjustments.”

Victor advises those who are keen on meeting their goals to take good care of themselves first. “Stabilize your life first,” Victor says. “If I am ready for anything that comes my way, I can be in a place where I can assist others around me.”

Other Ways to Refocus Your Goals and Stay Motivated

Finding the motivation to commit to your goals is easier said than done. However, you can employ a few tips and tricks to keep you focused and dedicated to accomplishing your goals.

1. Visualize Your Success: Visualization is a psychological tactic to imagine your success. Visualize yourself achieving your goals. What do you see? How do you feel? Who is with you? Remember: what you imagine, you can achieve!
2. Find an Accountability Buddy: Social support can hold you accountable. Find a friend or partner who is willing to assist you by checking in on your progress. Make sure not to tell them your end goal. Instead, let them know what routine or system you have in place and frequently ask them to follow-up with you. This accountability should act as a positive reinforcement so that you’re able to stick to your goal plan.
3. Avoid Negative Self-Talk: Messing up on your routine will happen, but that doesn’t mean you should be too hard on yourself. Try to maintain a positive outlook even when things don’t go as planned and limit self-criticism.

Conclusion

Meeting your goals takes time, dedication, and most importantly, perseverance. By setting a goal in the first place, you’re taking the first step to success. Just be sure to hold yourself accountable along the way and give yourself some slack when you slip up.

Ready to refresh your goals? Download our free goal-setting worksheet today.