Goal setting is essential to living a life with purpose and meaning.

Goals give your life direction and focus and help you stay motivated over the long term. Goal setting also provides you with a benchmark for determining whether you are succeeding or not. So what does it take to achieve a goal and see it become a reality?

You need to assess and (possibly) change your daily habits.

We all know habits can be destructive, but they can actually be constructive as well. The key to adopting good habits is to consciously incorporate them into your life, until they become second nature.

To help you achieve your goals, try adopting these 4 habits.

1.      Define your fears.

Fears hold people back. A key reason many people struggle to achieve their goals is that they haven’t defined their fears. As a result, their fears continue to hold them back. Think of fear setting as the opposite of goal setting. Instead of making a checklist of what you want to do, make a checklist of what you’re afraid to do and what you’re afraid will happen. Writing down your fears takes away their power and gives it back to you.

2.      Eliminate the word ‘fine’ from your vocabulary.

Apart from being a filler word, the word ‘fine’ also tells the world that you accept your current situation. You’re also telling yourself that since your current situation is good enough, you don’t need to put in any effort to change. It’s time to stop settling for ‘fine’ and start striving for ‘great’ instead.

3.      Be curious about your obstacles.

The next time you’re procrastinating, instead of getting frustrated be curious about what’s going on in your head. Are you bored? Scared? Angry? When you’re curious about the things holding you back, you naturally want to search for ways around them. You never know, in your search, you may discover things that surprise and inspire you.

4.      Celebrate your small wins.

We all take the time to celebrate our big wins. But very few of us take the time to celebrate the small wins. Children get very excited about small things. This keeps them happy and enthusiastic about life. As we grow, we forget to keep this habit up and become stuffy adults. Celebrating small wins helps to keep you motivated and on track to your big wins. And it also makes life a little bit more fun!

The most important thing you need to remember is that there’s a reason you want to accomplish your goals. Respect that desire and follow it through. There is no reason you can’t achieve your goals if you commit yourself—and adopt these 4 habits.

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