The most worthwhile goals are often the most difficult. Achieving significant results takes a lot of time and effort, and it’s easy to give up halfway. You may have lofty ideals but don’t know where to start. Maybe you’ve started but lack the motivation to continue. Regardless, achieving difficult goals requires careful planning and good habits.

Develop an Action Plan

Assess your level of commitment. Before you start taking action, it’s important to figure out how committed you are. How much you are willing to invest in your goals has a lot to do with whether you succeed.

• Your determination is equivalent to a contract you sign with yourself.
• If you are not willing to invest a lot, you are unlikely to succeed. If you are not determined enough, I suggest you reconsider your goals.

Make sure goals are specific and measurable. Goals that are easy to achieve must be specific, and you have to know how to achieve the goal.

• Vague goals are difficult to achieve because even you are not sure how to achieve them.
• The reason you haven’t achieved your goals yet is probably that they’re poorly defined.
• For example, the goal of “becoming a better person” is difficult to achieve.
• Because it’s so vague, no matter how good you get, there’s always the possibility of getting better. In this case, you should think about what kind of person is the better person. What specific things do you need to do? Call your mom once a week. Volunteer for 10 hours a month? Or share more household chores? Be as specific as possible.

Break down the overall goal into phased goals. Break down difficult goals into smaller goals. Small goals should also be specific and quantifiable goals.

• Breaking down your goals can help you create a step-by-step action plan.
• Another benefit is the ease of tracking progress. This will help you stay motivated.
• For example, if your goal is to get a Ph.D. in physics, you should think about how you can get there. You need to apply to graduate school, get admitted, complete all courses, pass credentialing exams, and so on.
• If you don’t know how to break down goals yet, do some research first to learn this.

Set time limits. After the goals are decomposed, set a reasonable completion time for them and specify time for each small goal.

• Timetables can serve as a reminder.
• Even if a small goal is not achieved, it does not mean failure. But you need to adjust your schedule to keep yourself up to speed.

Be prepared to face obstacles. There are many challenging obstacles along the way to achieving your most difficult goals. Take some time to imagine what difficulties you might encounter.

• Anticipating the obstacles you may encounter can help you plan for them.
• For example, if you were preparing to run a marathon, what obstacles might you encounter? You may get injured during training. Work matters may disrupt training plans. What should you do if these things happen?
• Developing an emergency plan can help you better deal with emergencies. Even if you encounter difficulties, you can still make some progress.
• You can’t anticipate every obstacle. But envisioning things in advance can increase your confidence and make you better able to handle unexpected situations.

Achieve Your Goals

Adjust your mentality. One of the ingredients for achieving difficult goals is a good mindset. Know that while you can’t control everything, you can make a big difference.

• Many people think that life is predetermined rather than created by themselves. This is called externally controlled cognition. Under this cognitive premise, once they encounter a problem, they will blame fate or other people.
• The external locus of cognition is self-defeating. It should be adjusted to the internal control type. People with this cognitive model believe that their destiny is in their own hands. It will keep you motivated to achieve your goals.
• Pay attention to your thoughts. When you find thoughts like: “I can’t do anything” or “Life can only be like this”, think again about whether it is true. It’s normal to encounter unexpected difficulties, and you need to find ways to improve the situation rather than accept failure.
• Remember you always have a choice.

Visualize the impact achieving your goals will have on you. Another way to stay motivated is to envision how your life will change if you achieve your goals.

• Think about how your life will improve at each stage of success.
• Think boldly and write down your positive thoughts.

Create the right environment. If the environment is right, it can be motivating.

• For example, if you want to quit drinking, you should remove all the alcohol from the house. Also avoid contact with your former drinking buddies, as those people can make you fall back into old habits.
• Get in touch with people who have goals work hard, and communicate frequently. They can provide you with some helpful insights and suggestions, and it’s best if their goals are similar to yours.

Invest the necessary time. After all, achieving difficult goals requires sustained effort. There are no shortcuts, so invest the necessary time.

• It can be helpful to create a daily plan and plan how much time you will spend on your goals each day. Still taking the example of preparing for a marathon, you need to arrange a specific time for training every day.
• Gradually you will develop a habit. Progress will gradually become a spontaneous habit.

Stay motivated and keep improving. Since it is the most difficult goal, it must be challenging, and it may be easy to get frustrated and give up. To prevent you from giving up, here are some suggestions:

• Increase awareness. Give yourself a small reward for each milestone you achieve. Rewards can also come in the form of being exempted from doing something you don’t want to do. Buy yourself a new pair of shoes or skip a day of cleaning as a reward for your progress.
• Small rewards keep you motivated. They allow you to associate achieving your goals with something positive.
• Encouragement is more effective than punishment.
• There are times when you just can’t lift your spirits no matter what. For example, illness, fatigue, or trouble at work. Occasionally, if you can’t stick to the plan, you can adjust yourself and change your approach.
• For example, if you really don’t want to open a physics book and prepare for an exam, you can do something else. Organize notes, list knowledge frameworks, or watch a science documentary related to physics. That way, you can still make some progress.

Tracking progress. Following up is a great way to stay motivated. Use mobile apps, calendars, diaries, etc. to record your progress and achieved phased goals.

• When you’re confused, look at your records. You’ll know you’ve made great progress, which can give you renewed confidence. It also keeps you committed to your plans and commitments to yourself.
• In the process of achieving difficult goals, you may experience stress and anxiety. Keeping a journal is also a good idea for this situation. Write down the progress and how you feel in a journal. Expressing your emotions in this way can relieve anxiety. You will also become more focused on your current tasks.

Tips

• Write down why you want to achieve these goals. Write as many reasons as possible. Take a look when you’re lacking motivation.
• Create momentum in your surroundings. If you’re preparing for a marathon, hang some marathon posters in your bedroom or on your refrigerator.
• Read information that will help you achieve your goals. The more broadly you understand the relevant inquiries, the easier it is to make progress.
• Get a calendar or planner and write down your daily goals on it. This habit helps you stay the course.
• Make sure your goals are realistic. If the goal is unrealistic, all efforts will be blind and will only lead to disappointment and failure.