5 Tips to Achieve Anything You Want in Life
Achieving what you want in life doesn’t always look like immediate success or easy wins! Shannon Bahrke knows this all too well. Sometimes setbacks and failures end up being a catapult to your biggest wins. As an elite skier, Shannon achieved her goals on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, winning World Cup and National titles, medaling at several World Championships as well as earning an Olympic silver medal in 2002 and a bronze medal in 2010! During that time, she achieved those successes while overcoming major knee surgeries (two of them!), a broken jaw, shoulder surgery, and ankle surgery. When she retired from elite level competition and transitioned into “normal life,” Shannon experienced the challenge of feeling lost and confused and how to move forward. She no longer had a single focus, or an executable plan to achieve her goals, and on top of that she lost her whole identity as an Olympic athlete. Rather than letting those feelings hold her back, she channeled them to create her passion project, Team Empower Hour -- Olympians empowering corporate leaders and teams around the globe through leadership development, team building, keynote speeches, and fitness classes. Her story shows how you can achieve anything you want in life, with perseverance, creativity, and grit!
Here are the 5 best tips for achieving anything you want in life:
#1 Make the Journey Enjoyable
While your goals are important, so is the time it takes to get to them. Don’t miss out on the journey because you’re so focused on the future! The more enjoyable you can make the work you’re doing, the more likely you are to continue persevering towards your goals through setbacks and challenges. Celebrate the little steps along the way and find ways to make the effort fun.
#2 Commitment vs. Enthusiasm
There’s a difference between the momentary excitement of starting something new and being fully committed to your goals. Channel initial enthusiasm into a long-term commitment to your desired outcome, and you’ll find yourself working towards success even when it isn’t quite as fun. A few ways to fully commit yourself is to share your goal publicly for more accountability, schedule time on your calendar to chip at the goal each and every day, make sure you’re working towards something that’s realistically achievable, and find a support system of people who will support your dreams!
#3 Rid Yourself of Distractions
Focus on what’s important. It can be easy to spend your valuable time on unproductive activities, such as answering endless emails or scrolling through social media! While it’s important to take time for relaxing activities and self-care, make sure that a majority of your time is devoted to the most important actions that further your goals. Write out a list of things that distract you from your most productive path, set aside a chunk of time each week when you plan to indulge in those activities, and then cut them from the rest of your schedule. You’ll be amazed at how many more hours seem to exist in your day!
#4 Depend on Yourself
You are the only one who can achieve your goals! Avoid expecting others to do the work for you. Instead, trust your own unique abilities and perseverance to strive towards your desired results. However, it’s also great to cultivate a support system, seek out others who are working towards similar goals to commiserate and celebrate with, and surround yourself with those who will cheer you on.
#5 Plan Your Strategy
Strategy, planning, and scheduling will keep you on track towards your goals. Take time to check in with your goals each month, and ask yourself: Are you on schedule to achieve your goals? Does your plan need to be adjusted? What milestones will you hit this month? Then, design your weekly schedule around those answers. Sometimes other responsibilities will take over your timeline -- instead of letting a slowdown defeat you, plan to dedicate more time in the coming weeks. Be flexible but stay committed. If you keep working towards what you want, you are sure to achieve it.
Having passion and drive to achieve a goal is important to success. However, it can be easy to get burnt out when you are highly motivated. Pay attention to your energy levels and give yourself breaks to relax. Make sure there’s time in your schedule for fun, family, friends, and time outdoors as well. To avoid burnout and stay happy and healthy while working hard, try switching between creative tasks and logic or numbers-based work. We also suggest you keep your body moving. Take breaks to walk (even just around the room!) and stand up often. Alternate between working alone and with a team. Take time to clear your mind for a few moments with meditation or deep breathing. And most importantly, recognize your successes along the way, and celebrate how far you’ve come!