Chronic Quitter To Goal Smasher In 5 Steps Anyone Can Accomplish

Do you find yourself constantly moving on to the next thing without finishing what you first set out to accomplish?
You could be in a habit of giving up on : fitness goals, your job, growing your social media presence, a new hobby, keeping up on housework, finishing books, or anything else you set out to achieve.
In order to go from chronic quitter to goal smasher I've provided five simple steps to inspire you!

5 Steps To Becoming A Goal Smasher

1. Believe In Yourself
Are the words you speak over yourself degrading, negative, and discouraging?
That might be your worst problem.
If you take pointers from highly successful people I would bet most of them tell you success starts with the thought of thinking you will conquer the task at hand, or accomplish your goal, or finish what you set out to.
Have faith in your ability to be triumphant!
Take pointers from the classic "Little Engine That Could" that teaches the value of optimism and hard work.
Bestselling author Jon Gordon says, "talk to yourself more than you listen to yourself." Matt Mayberry, a contributor to Entrepreneur, took this quote further and said, "Just for one week, try talking to yourself like a champion instead of listening to yourself as a victim."

According to Dr. Branch Coslett, "self-talk is more than a confidence booster. From a neuroscience perspective it might be more like internal remodeling."
Rhett Powerwrote, "Believing in yourself is the first step to success whether it means your life, your career, or simply your confidence, and in that lies your power."
After reading multiple articles it seems that it all boils down to this simple concept, believe in yourself!
Put it to practice : every morning, afternoon, and evening look in the mirror and speak a positive mantra. 

2. Be SMART
SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound.

Be smart with your goals.
In the same way you don't run before you walk, you can't achieve success immediately, so use baby steps.
If you have a large goal - break it down into 5 steps to get there.
Example
Big Goal : I want to write 8 blog posts in the month of April.
Five steps to get there :

1. Map out two blogs per week with subjects and/or titles
2. Give each blog post roughly three days to be written
3. Spend the first of those three days gathering inspiration, quotes, research
4. Spend the second day writing out the rough draft.
5. Spend the 3rd day adding the finishing touches.

*For each of the 8 blog posts I would check off #'s 3-5 until finished.
By breaking it down it's a lot less overwhelming and therefore seems much more attainable!
Also, part of being smart is knowing your why.
Ask yourself, 'why do I want to achieve this goal?'
Put it to practice : Write down your goal(s) and put it in a place you'll come across it often.

3. Reassess
Write your goals down and check them off, scratch them off, or put a line through it when you've accomplished what you set out to.
If you didn't smash your goal, don't scratch it off forever.

Success takes perseverance.
If you didn't reach your goal, evaluate if it's even realistic and then adjust if need be. Push the timeline out a little further. Realize you didn't give it your all and retry with a more positive attitude. Or, accept failure for what it is; an opportunity to learn.
Have you ever heard of post-mortem? I hadn't until I read an article written by Shawn Lim where he explained a post-mortem is "an analysis or discussion of an event soon after it has occurred, especially in order to determine why it was a failure."
Put it to practice : reassess your goal(s) and continue moving forward accordingly.

4. . Get An Accountability Partner
The definition of accountability partner is, according to wikipedia (which is a super reliable source according to Michael Scott on The Office), a person who coaches another person in terms of helping the other person keep a commitment.

By buddying up you'll be able to bounce motivation and encouragement back-and-forth. By talking about your goals you are more likely to accomplish them because we are driven by the desire to be successful.
When you have someone you have to tell, "I failed" you are more likely to do anything and everything you can to not make that a reality.
Put it to practice : call up a trustworthy person and tell them you have a goal and you would like their help encouraging you and checking in with you to keep you moving toward success.

5. Treat Yo' Self
Celebrate the small successes! Celebrate the large successes!
I'm taking Bill Carmody's thought and changing it up just a bit to make it relevant to what I'm trying to get across here.
"Your Celebrations Position You Correctly As A Winner And Attracts More Success : Success begets more success, so it's only natural to build upon existing momentum. As you look to grow in your goals, celebratory events not only reinforce the positive aspects of what you are doing, but position yourself as a desirable person whom others would like to associate."
According to Mark Deterding, there are 7 benefits to celebrating : 1-releases stress 2-provides motivation 3-recognizes excellence 4-shows appreciation and acceptance 5-builds energy 6-provides a time of reflection 7-is a moment in time to be remembered.
Put it to practice : pop a bottle of champagne, go out to dessert, high five your accountability partner, set up a relaxing evening at home, eat a piece of chocolate, pat yourself on the back, or do a happy dance! 

After putting this all to practice and you still find yourself saying :

"I didn't smash my goal and am not willing to accept failure."
Take the advice of author F. Scott Fitzgerald, "never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat."
Focus on any progress you DID make!

Happy goal smashing to you,
Nicole