At the beginning of the new year, motivation is at an all-time high along with the attitude that anything is possible. While having a tank full of motivation and inspiration is great, those sorts of feelings are fleeting.
High performers and mentally strong people understand this and don't allow themselves to rely solely on their feelings when it comes to achieving their goals. When it comes to their goals, they differentiate themselves from the average person through their approach.
If you're wanting to make your goals a reality this year, start by mastering these three key habits.
1. Become a master of your time.
Whether you're a busy entrepreneur looking to double your revenue this year or looking to make this your healthiest year, being in control of your time is the highest priority.
A mentor once told me "show me your schedule and I can easily predict how you're coming about with your goals." And at that time, I wasn't achieving much because I wasn't being ruthless and intentional with my time.
I was freely giving it away through checking email first thing in the morning, mindlessly surfing Instagram before writing, and saying "yes" to others obligations before addressing my own needs.
With that said, mastering your time starts with you becoming more selfish.
The first activity toward mastery of this habit is to fill your schedule with only activities that move you forward in life or with your specific goal while outsourcing tasks that can be done by someone else.
For example, if you're wanting to build your consulting business, your day needs to be filled with calls and prospecting, not inside your inbox for hours doing admin work.
If you're looking to improve your nutrition, think about outsourcing your nutrition to a meal delivery service so that frees up time and decision making for other important business activities.
2. Become a master of your emotions and mindset.
At the beginning of my personal development journey, I was eager to change. I read a plethora of books and listened to numerous podcasts.
However, I learned the hard way that all the books, seminars, podcasts, and various tactics mean very little if you haven't addressed your internal world. No matter how you polish the exterior of your life, the interior when left unattended is old and outdated with beliefs and functions that don't serve you anymore.
Attempting to accomplish your goals without addressing your internal world makes as much sense as expecting a 2018 computer with a 1998 processing system to operate at a high level.
There's going to be a disconnect.
If you don't handle the underlying root causes when it comes to your business and health goals, you'll fall short each time.
For example, if you're not in control of your emotions, this can lead to stress eating which disrupts your progress in health.
If you're not in control of your emotions and mindset in business, this can lead to operating and making decisions in a fearful state which may bring short-term pleasures and certainty but also equally jeopardizes your long-term success.
An easy way to start mastery of your emotions and mindset is to start a daily meditation practice, journaling, or form an inner circle of trusted advisors to help identify blind spots and chock holds.
3. Become a master of the process.
It's early in the year and the excitement of that big goal is propelling you. But what about nine weeks into the goal when the motivation and adrenaline have tapered off?
I had a bad habit of overly fixating on my end goal and this only lead to disappointment in the long run because I didn't have the proper perspective for long-term success.
I learned over the years that mentally strong people understand that placing their focus on the process is an absolute necessity for their sanity and personal growth. The process is where you can form an empowering mindset and identity because you fully control the daily actions and decisions.
Just as you can't guarantee to be the number one pick in the NFL draft, you can't fully guarantee a million dollars by years end because there are external factors that you don't control. But you can absolutely control the actions that give you the best chance of achieving that million dollar goal by years end.