Small Steps = Big Goals

For my milestone birthday last year I wanted to do something out of the ordinary. A girls' trip to some exotic place, a solo trip to New York, just something memorable, but unfortunately neither worked out as planned. I did get to see a Boyz II Men concert though...and that hit the spot.

Instead of wallowing in the misery of unsuccessful trips, I decided to focus on the year ahead. This was a milestone year dammit! (I know...I can't believe I'm finally 30 either..hahaha! wink wink!).

A year that, sadly, many weren't blessed to see, a year that, while it may sound heavy on your tongue and make you wonder "WTH!! Where did the time go?", it came with new found wisdom and a renewed sense of self. So who said it had to be celebrated on just one day? Nah Ah! This was gonna be a year long celebration, a year to step out of my comfort zone and check off a few things from my bucket list.

Now, I'm not good at holding myself accountable for things. On Sunday evening I can say, 'Okay Amie, no bread this week!' and by Monday afternoon I'm nibbling on a slice, justifying it as meeting my carbohydrate requirements for the day. So this was going to be a challenge, setting goals for 2017 that I could accomplish by my next birthday.

The key, I came to realize, is to pick things that you are passionate about. Things that you will have fun accomplishing, so it won't feel like torture. Things that you have wanted to do for a very long time and feel it's about time you crossed them off your list. Then, keep the list short. Don't overwhelm yourself with a laundry list of items because if you don't accomplish them you will probably focus on the unchecked items vs the checked. We, as humans, have a tendency to focus on our failures vs our successes. It's a constant battle.

I have always wanted to get a tattoo. It's been on my bucket list for at least 10 years, so that was definitely top on my list. Second, and this may come as a shocker but...I never learned how to ride a bike. I know...I know...begs the question "What was I doing during my childhood?". Trust me, I asked myself that too which is why it made it into my 2017 bucket list. And finally, a 5K obstacle race. I have a messed up left knee, and it's always had a psychological hold on me, convincing me that I can't complete an obstacle race because I'd probably mess it up even more. But not this time!!

Fear of failure (and pain..lol!) was overcome this year, and with each goal I checked off my short list, my personal achievement scale went up a few more notches. And when that last goal (tattoo) was checked off before my deadline, it felt like a Christmas in July...well in this case October...hahaha!

Now with the end of the year just around the corner, I know a lot of us are going to start the new year with a truck load of goals we want to accomplish, and halfway through the year we probably won't have started the list. So from my personal experience, here are a few tips that helped me out and might help you too:

1. Set Small Achievable Goals:

Two, or three, goals at a time so it doesn't feel overwhelming.If you accomplish

these goals before your deadline, set a couple more. There's an old Swahili proverb that says 'Haba na haba hujaza kibaba'. Which loosely translates to 'Little by little fills the pot/can'. So take it step by step and you will achieve your goals.

2. Give Yourself A Tangible Deadline And Hold Yourself To It:

My deadline was my birthday 2017, so I knew I had exactly twelve months to accomplish my goals, Having that date circled on my calendar made it real, and the closer it got to that date, the harder I pushed myself to accomplish them.

3. Have Fun Doing It:

Don't see this as a chore, see it as step towards self-improvement, self-realization, and an opportunity to step outside your comfort zone and achieve something you didn't think you could before. Enjoy the ride and growth.

Take it from me, once you accomplish your first set of goals, you're gonna be so pumped to cross out more items from your bucket list, I'm already working on my next short list.

So go forth and take life by the horns in 2018.