You can be sure that life will at times be a twisting path of “potholes” around which you must
navigate. You’ve likely been through phases of your life already where you wondered if things
would ever change. Then, things calmed down and you discovered the smoother, straighter road.
Regardless of where your journey leads, it’s important to be able to continue making progress to
meet the goals you’ve established for yourself. Through the tough times, staying focused on
what you want in life will keep your spirits high and bring you joy.
The key, then, to a fulfilled life is to achieve your goals no matter what. This lesson gives you five
strategies that you can always use to keep obstacles from stopping you.
Try these tips to continue going for your goals even when life’s road gets rough:
1. Know exactly what you’re after in life. What do you want your life to be like? When
you’re sure, you can then plan your activities over the short and long term to help you
achieve your goals.
2. Keep your list of life goals short and to the point. Some good examples of life goals are“:
Save 25% of my yearly earnings for kids’ education, vacations and retirement,” Take
budget-friendly vacations out of the country every 5 years,” and “Retire when I’m 67.”
3. Infuse elements of achieving your goals into your everyday life. Let’s say one of your
goals, a trip out of the country, will be to Australia 3 years from now. Have a couple of
books about Australia laying around the house, on your coffee table and nightstand.
Listen to music from Australia on your MP3. Watch television shows about Aussie land.
○ Have reminders and tasks to do that are related to meeting your life goals
throughout your home. Make your life goals part of your everyday life so that
even when times get bumpy, you’ll be able to keep your eyes on what’s really
important to you.
4. Talk positively to yourself. It can be quite helpful to use positive self-talk. When you do,
you’ll be more likely to keep working toward your goals in life. Say something like, “I’m in
a rough patch but I will still keep saving for my retirement and my kids’ educations.”
○ Other examples of positive self-talk are “I can get through this challenging phase
just like I did before,” “As long as I keep moving forward, things will be okay,” and
“Life has in store many more wonderful adventures for me.”
○ Using positive self-talk will keep your spirits buoyed when you feel like you’re
floundering in choppy waters.
5. Reflect on your efforts in order to reinforce them. Even though you may be struggling,
think about what you accomplished just this week to achieve your goals. Maybe you made
a couple of phone calls, explored the internet to gather information, or drew up a new
budget to ensure you’re on target for saving for your life goals.
○ The fact is you did something. And recognizing that will reinforce your efforts in
your quest to achieve your goals. You can excel in times of great challenge.
Keep working toward accomplishing your goals even though life throws out more than a few
obstacles at you. Know what you’re after and stay focused. Make your life goals a part of your
daily life and use positive self-talk. Acknowledge what you’ve done to keep moving forward.
Apply these strategies to help you consistently work to meet your life goals. If you do, you’ll
accomplish whatever you want, no matter what.
If you know the most common obstacles and how to overcome them, you’ll have a huge
advantage in the game of life. You can look forward to receiving that information in the next
lesson.
Here’s what you need to do today:
Notice what you say to yourself.
● For one day, notice the types of things you say to yourself.
● How much of it is negative? How do you think this negative self-talk influences your
attitude and results? How does it affect your ability to overcome life’s obstacles?