The Snowball Effect

Kristin Cuthriel

Goal Setting Tips and Daily Motivation

30 Comments

Written by Kristin Barton Cuthriell, M.Ed, MSW, LCSW

People often say that motivation doesn’t last.  Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily. –Zig Zigler

What can you do to daily motivate yourself?

When I was in college, my friends and I sat and watched Oprah Winfrey wheel a wagon of fat out onto the stage of her television show to illustrate how much weight she had lost.  It was at that moment that my girlfriends and I became more determined than ever to get healthy.  The kitchen, in the small apartment that we shared, was stocked full of chips, salsa, cheese, and, of course, oodles of noodles, the inexpensive staple that kept many college students alive.

At exactly five o’clock, the moment the show ended, we set out, full of determination, on a quarter-mile trek to Food Lion to splurge on healthy food.  Our goal to become healthier was simple, so it seemed.   A brisk walk, broccoli in the refrigerator, and plenty of enthusiasm, we were off to a terrific start.

Looking back, I remember the excitement we felt that day; the motivation, the goals, the new routine.  But I also remember the routine never really becoming a routine at all.  Matter of fact, the healthy eating and exercise lasted about two days.  Twenty-three years later, I vividly remember the Oprah episode and how amazingly fast my motivation came and went.  What had happened?  What could I have done differently?  What have I learned in the past twenty-three years?  A lot.

Research shows that accomplishing goals is good for your mental health.  This does not mean that you are to run, run, run, never stopping to catch your breath.  Maybe you have been going too hard, and your goal is to slow down and spend more time in silence.  Or maybe your goal is to get more active.  Whatever the case, goal accomplishment is important to your well-being.

Numerous studies have shown that goal accomplishment leads to higher hope thinking.  According to the late C.R. Snyder, who spent years researching, writing, and teaching about the hope/goal attainment connection,  people who enhanced their hopeful thinking through goal attainment experienced a decrease in depression, anxiety, and somatic complaints, and an increase in self-esteem and resilience.  Although Snyder’s research, in its totality, is beyond the scope of this article, he leaves little doubt that hope can be measured and that goal accomplishment increases hopeful thinking which improves overall health.

The winning formula and goal setting tips: 

goal + step by step plan + daily motivation + action

  • The goals need to be yours: You will not stay motivated unless it is something that you want to accomplish rather than something imposed on you by someone else.
  • It needs to be specific and measurable:  Your goal needs to be clear and unambiguous if you are going to stay motivated to accomplish it.  Getting healthy is too general.  Eating one vegetable serving at dinner is more specific and easy to measure.
  • Set a time for completion: It is easier to stay motivated if you have an end date. For a lifestyle change such as eating healthier foods, you may want to reward yourself after eating vegetables every night for five nights.  After the five nights, you will then come up with another time of completion.  Twelve step recovery programs utilize a day by day, hour by hour approach. Small increments of time are often less overwhelming when it comes to lifestyle changes.
  •  Put it in writing: This will help motivate you and hold you more accountable.
  • Make it challenging yet realistic: It is important to balance this.  For me personally, writing a book is challenging, playing in the NBA is unrealistic.
  • Know why you want to attain it: It is hard to be motivated to do something, when you really don’t know why you are doing it in the first place.
  • Come up with several different paths to get you there: Your goal may be fine, your path to get there may have to be adjusted.
  • Expect set backs: Look at these as learning experiences
  • Celebrate progress:  Always progress not perfection. People who aim at perfection only, often give up during a set back.
  • Be patient with yourself:  Sometimes patterns that take years to create, take a while to unlearn.
  •  Post a picture of the reward and look at it daily: One college student used a picture of a truck that he planned to purchase in the future as his motivation to graduate and get a job.
  • Read daily affirmations: This will motivate you and keep you on track.
  • Read inspirational stories daily: This will help you keep your resolve.

Setting goals without coming up with daily ways to motivate yourself often results in good intention rather than mission accomplished.  Daily affirmations and positive quotations work well for me most of the time.  Be creative and come up with ways that will motivate you to accomplish what it is that you have always wanted to do.  And if you fail, remember that you are that much closer to eventual success.

“Look at failure like a GPS.  The GPS doesn’t quit, it just reroutes.”

Comments

  2. wordsfromanneli says

    That all sounds great. Now to get started. I’d better make a list. I already experienced a setback on the item on today’s list. Went to great lengths to bring my dog with me so I could take her picture at a certain location. Got there and the camera battery was dead. But this is why we should always have a Plan B, right? And keep on motivating along.

    Reply

  3. tlbflowllc says

    Great final quote!

    As I read through your tips, I found that I’m good at the first half of them, but I’m terrible with the second half (especially “expect set backs”). I hadn’t seen the second half of the list laid out so well before. I’d just read them in bits and pieces scattered over different goal-setting texts. Thanks for laying them out plainly! This should help me out a lot.

    Reply

  4. stuartart says

    Another excellent blog post Kristin. I’m not familiar with Snyder’s work so thanks for the heads up there. For me, creating positive habits around my goals really helps. That way even if I do lose motivation the habit keeps me moving in the right direction. Affirmations are also a great reminder of my why. Superb stuff – thanks. 🙂

    Reply

  5. rabidmongoose says

    I love Ziglar as well and often find myself quoting him in my own blog. Several years ago I bought Zig’s goal-setting book and set of recordings and got myself all fired up about goals. After diligently working his program and steps I set out to accomplish great things. Weeks later, disillusioned, I quit. It wasn’t that I had failed to make progress; I had. Rather, I realized that by setting goals I was essentially playing God in trying to determine my own fate, and looking down each road my goals could potentially take me brought only disappointment and a sense of, “That’s it? This is all life has to offer?” Do you have any thoughts on this aspect of goal setting?

    Reply

    • User AvatarKristin Barton Cuthriell says

      My answer to this is based only on my personal opinions and beliefs. With that said, many others may disagree. It is my belief that God puts certain things in our hearts that we are to do. We may feel it as a sense of passion or knowing. Prayer may lead us to this place of knowing. We may have to be patient. I do believe God wants us to follow this with deeds (action). When what we think we are suppose to do doesn’t seem to be working out no matter how hard we try, we may begin to question ourselves, “Was this not what I was meant to do?” At times like this, I usually pray and meditate on it, hoping that God will give me an answer in His time. If the passion is still there, or I just know that my goal is the right thing for me to do, I may have to reroute and come up with another way to achieve it. I do not feel like I am playing God if I believe my goal is in my best interest, in the best interest of others, and is something that God would want me to do. As far as you asking, “That’s it? This is all life has to offer?”, remember that life is a journey and the accomplishment of one goal is not the finish line. We will learn and grow and experience for the rest of our lives. Great questions! Again, my answer is strickly my own personal opinion. Thank you for commenting on my post.

      Reply

    • stuartart says

      Hi rabidmongoose, it sounds like maybe your goals were not consistent with how you dream your life could be. Take 5 minutes to read this short post about setting your Perfect Day: http://bit.ly/tPckmt (it’s too long to explain here) – and it may give you some clarity. Ince you are a bit clearer you may consider goals that lead you to that Perfect Day, and your own fate. Good luck. 🙂

      Reply

      • rabidmongoose says

        Hey Stuart, thanks for the tip. I did read that blog, and I see now that my first list (and successive goal work) was aimed at my Shell Self…which explains why I found the progress so unsatisfying and demotivating. I will try to write out that ‘perfect day’.

        Reply

  8. zendictive says

    I always make a list of things I need to do in the next couple days then circle something I want to do in the future… great post (~_~) the things I need to get done always get checked off and sometimes my goals get scratched off as well.

    Art~

    Reply

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