Breaking It Into Small, Achievable Goals...

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If there is one thing that my family and friends would know me for, is that I am harsh on myself. I have high expectations for myself, I hold myself on very high standards whenever I am trying to achieve something or when I am working on something. There is nothing wrong with challenging one's self to do better, but I think the harm comes when expectations become more of a destruction than a motivation. Of course I have failed many times, and I know I will have more. That's the nature of the beast, and the beauty of opportunities as that means we have another chance to do better. But each time I try again, I become so hard on myself that it just makes me lose focus on things that matter the most. I remember crying at night and losing sleep as I worry over a lot of things that I have no control of. Until a good friend of mine counseled me and taught me how to break down my goal into small, achievable mini-goals. This way, I get to celebrate and enjoy small wins, and this further motivates me toward trudging on to the ultimate or bigger goal. And to be honest, it makes me happier now. It allows me as well to take breaks in between achieved goals. For instance, my goal is to decorate the house for Christmas - no easy task! I break it down into small goals; like now I have managed to customized a garland that I will drape on the mantel. I was pleased with the result and celebrated by having a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows. Of course real life application is not as simple as this, but you get the gist. Breaking our goals into small, manageable tasks allows us to move forward consistently without being burned out. It also allows us to correct our mistakes as we go along instead of feeling like we failed at it all.