Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 4: Setting realistic goals
• Part 2 of 4: Mental Attitude
• Part 3 of 4: Coping with Procrastination
• Part 4 of 4: Getting Rid of Perfectionism

If your life is slipping in one place, chances are you already know that it's time to stop doubting and start taking action. You may also realize that moving forward is actually easier than it sounds. Be that as it may, you can change your own life if you give up perfectionism and learn to set goals correctly.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Setting realistic goals

1. 1 Start small. Do what you can do right now. If you know that you cannot run more than one kilometer, start fixing the problem in a way that is affordable for yourself. There is no need to promise yourself: "Tomorrow I will start running 5 km." Instead, promise yourself: "Tomorrow I will run a kilometer and with each new day I will try to run a little more than before."
2. 2 Define your goals. If your goals are vague, the likelihood of meeting the objectives will be lower. Conversely, if they are more specific and measurable, then it will be easier for you to achieve them. In this case, the method of five components will help you, which consists in the fact that the goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, result-oriented and a certain time frame. All of these five constituents encompass the concept of "specificity".
   • For example, a goal might sound like this: "Start running for 20 minutes a day to improve your health, and gradually increase the distance to 5 kilometers over one year."
   • Make sure to break down your goals into smaller pieces. If you set yourself the goal of running half the marathon the next day, even though you've never run in your life, you're not going to succeed. You will have to start small in order to be able to achieve your goal. For example, first promise yourself that you will run for 5 minutes several times a day.
3. 3 Make sure your goals are measurable and achievable. Measurability and achievability are some of the most important characteristics of your goals. Measurability means choosing goals that you can verify that they are being met. In the examples above, the goal is to start running 5 kilometers by a specific date, which is quite measurable. At the same time, the goal should not be very large in order to be attainable. Otherwise, you will not have the desire to move towards achieving it. For example, if you declare that you want to start running a marathon by next week, that will be unattainable.
4. 4 Check that the goals are result-oriented. In other words, the essence of the goal should be what you get at the end, not how you get it. In the example shown, the goal is to run a distance of 5 kilometers, not daily jogging.
5. 5 Set a specific time frame for achieving your goals. If you set a goal for yourself, but do not set a time frame for it, you will no longer have such a desire to achieve it, as it will become somewhat blurred. For a goal to be measurable, it must have a specific time to complete.
   • In the example above, it takes a full year to complete the goal to start running 5 kilometers.
6. 6 Move towards the goal. Once goals have been set, it is time to act quickly and energetically. Start moving towards the nearest small goal you have set for yourself.Try to work on this daily, if possible.
7. 7 Praise yourself for achieving intermediate goals. Once you've accomplished something, remember to give yourself a little compliment. It doesn't hurt to tell yourself that you've done a good job, even if you've only completed a fraction of your big goal so far.
8. 8 Don't be afraid to raise rates. Over time, you will achieve your goals. When that comes, you can raise your original bar or set new goals for yourself. For example, if you were going to start running 20 minutes a day and have been doing this for a while, it might be time to start running 25 minutes a day.
9. 9 Reward yourself. It is also a good idea to use a reward system as you achieve your goals. The reward can be anything you enjoy, from books to good coffee. Let's say you wanted to start running 20 minutes a day every day. As soon as you complete your task, arrange yourself a reward.

Part 2 of 4: Mental Attitude

1. 1 Set yourself up against inaction. The actions you need to take can be intimidating to you, as this is something new to you and you have to step out of your comfort zone. For this reason, you may feel that it is better and easier to leave things as they are. However, you need to think about what will happen if you don't take action. In other words, what negative consequences do you face if you leave things as they are? For example, you will still slip in one place, although this does not suit you at all.
   • Take a piece of paper and write down all the negative consequences of inaction on it.
2. 2 Concentrate on long-term benefits. You are currently focusing on what gives you pleasure at the moment. Obviously, this has nothing to do with actions to achieve a goal that cause you additional discomfort. Instead, focus on the long-term benefits they will bring you. What happens if you act?
   • On the same piece of paper, add the heading "benefits". Write under it all the benefits that your actions will give you. For example, it might say, "I'll get a new job."
3. 3 Learn new things. If you are unable to decide how you want to move forward, you may want to try something new. Sign up for some classes. Read books. Try a new hobby. Breaking out of your comfort zone and learning new things can give you a boost to develop further along the path of life.
4. 4 Learn to tolerate uncertainty. If you are unable to tolerate uncertainty, then spend a lot of time doubting and trying to get away from the inevitable uncertainty that arises in front of you. Better to just learn to accept uncertainty as part of life so that you can spend energy moving forward towards your goals.
   • Begin to pay attention to your behavior, which you are trying to reduce the uncertainty. Perhaps you have a habit of rereading letters to friends twice to make sure they are flawless, or you only visit cafes that you know and love because you are afraid of encountering something new that you might not like. After noticing these behaviors, make a list of those activities that will cause you the most anxiety about avoiding.
   • Starting at the least disturbing end, work on stopping or changing certain actions from your list. Try to let someone else make plans for the evening, or send a letter to a friend without double proofreading for mistakes.
   • Make note of how you feel when you manage to give up unnecessary behavior. You may find that it makes you anxious or still anxious. However, it is very likely that you will find that the result you get is just as good, even if it didn't go as smoothly as you like.
   • Continue to work tirelessly on your own behaviors to learn to tolerate the uncertainties in your life.

Part 3 of 4: Coping with Procrastination

1. 1 Start with the easiest step for yourself first. When you evaluate a task you don't want to tackle, it may seem overwhelming. However, try to isolate the least unpleasant part from it, which will be the easiest to do. By taking action, you will remove the most difficult barrier from the path and, moreover, you will be able to feel the feeling that arises when the work is done.
2. 2 Don't position yourself as a procrastinator. If you start calling yourself a procrastinator all the time, then you will. In other words, if you define yourself this way, then at the same time you are setting yourself up to act accordingly. Instead, tell yourself, "I love doing my job on time without any procrastination."
3. 3 Begin to become aware of the negative consequences of procrastination. Procrastination is good in the short term, but it takes away long-term pleasures in order to get them in the moment. However, providing yourself with the negative short-term effects of procrastination can keep you motivated to take action. For example, you might make a promise to yourself that every time you don't meet your daily running goal, you will be depriving yourself of the television program you normally watch in the evening.
4. 4 Pay attention to self-deception. Procrastination can be disguised in many different ways. Sometimes you mask it with some other activity; but it is necessary to learn to argue with yourself if you catch yourself avoiding taking necessary actions. For example, you may think, "Yes, I didn't run today, but I walked around pretty well. And that's enough." Remember that walking will not help you achieve your goals.
5. 5 Try to change the psychological approach to the task at hand. Oftentimes, when you procrastinate, you mentally convince yourself how unpleasant the task at hand is. However, if you do the opposite, you may feel more willing to get things done. For example, you might say to yourself, "It's not that bad. I might even like it."

Part 4 of 4: Getting Rid of Perfectionism

1. 1 Redirect your own thoughts. Perfectionism means that you strive to make everything as perfect as possible. The problem with this way of thinking is that it sometimes stops you from doing something. The first step is to understand that perfectionism is detrimental to your actions and try to change your way of thinking.
   • Start by listing everything that perfectionism has helped you in the past. For example, he could help you get good grades.
   • Next, list how the lack of perfectionism can harm you. Think what the worst can happen? For example, you may fear losing your job. Try to test the realism of your fears, for example, tell yourself, "It is unlikely that I will lose my job because of one shortcoming."
2. 2 Stop thinking all or nothing. Perfectionism makes you think that if you can't do something perfectly, it's not worth doing at all. If you find yourself thinking this way, ask yourself if it will help or harm you.
   • For example, you bake cookies for your child for a school fair. At the same time, you try to make each cookie perfect, but you fail to the point that you want to take everything and throw it in the trash. Stop and think. Would your child prefer to take with them less than perfect baked goods or even go empty-handed?
3. 3 Reduce the value of achievements. In other words, if your self-esteem is based on external feedback and your accomplishments, you are likely to be disappointed. Instead, internal self-esteem should be developed.
   • Make another list for yourself.This time, write down everything that you like about yourself, for example, "kindness to animals" or "sociability."
   • To give less importance to achievement, you must learn to love yourself. To do this, you need to take care of yourself, that is, value yourself no less than you value other people. This means that you need to talk to yourself in the same tone as with a friend, and not in the negative tone that you sometimes use. For example, you don't have to say to yourself, "Oh, how scary I am today." You have to learn to see positive things in yourself, like saying, "Oh, my hair looks good today."
   • You must also learn to accept yourself as you are. Yes, you have both positive and negative qualities, but all people are like that. You need to learn that all these qualities are your ingredients, and you need to love them in yourself, even if you want to become better.