This is probably the most difficult part of goal setting. Yet it is also one of the most important aspects to actually achieving your goals. Everyone has had the experience of setting a goal, especially after the winter holidays, and it is exciting for the first few days. We pull ourselves out of bed a few minutes early and are very dedicated to marking that extra task off our list.  Setting the goal is still new enough that we can feel what it will be like to accomplish it. We can hear others congratulating us and this pushes us to move forward and do the things that may be uncomfortable but necessary.

After a few weeks, though life starts getting in the way. Someone in the family gets sick or you have an emergency at work and you miss doing your action steps that day. No big deal you will make up for it tomorrow. However, tomorrow comes and you are too tired to get up that few minutes early. You no longer really remember why you would want to get up early in the first place. You do not see yourself accomplishing your goal quite so clearly. It is way out in the distance. You can't hear the words other people are saying anymore. The bed feels way too good and it is much more important to get that extra couple minutes of sleep.

If this sounds familiar than keep reading because I am going to share with you the key to staying motivated and actually accomplishing the goals you set.

Set yourself up for success with each of your goals by including three key ingredients: a strong why, accountability and visualization.

Your why has to be strong enough that it will carry you through all of the difficult times. When I wanted to lose that extra weight it wasn't enough just to lose the weight for me, or to be able to fit in my cute clothes again. It wasn't enough that I would feel better and have less health risks by losing those thirty pounds. I had tried all of these whys and continued to make poor food choices. My strong why was my daughter. I saw the influence I was having on her. I saw that she was starting to make the same poor food choices that I had been doing the last few years. This scared me because I know how much childhood obesity has increased. I knew that if I continued to be a poor role model that I would be setting my daughter up to struggle her entire life. A strong why is essential to achieving your goal.

Accountability is the second key ingredient. You need to have people in your life that you respect enough to not want to disappoint them or let them down. This will keep you moving forward towards your goal consistently. This is what moved me to join Jean Sumner in creating World Wellness Education. I knew that this would allow me to put everything I have learned over the years into practice. More importantly, it would make me accountable for my food and exercise choices. I knew what to do and what to eat. Now I was accountable to not only one person but also thousands of people. For me that was some strong motivation. Now you don't need to take it to this extreme. Just find a buddy or two who is willing to help you. Find people in your life that will encourage you without listening to your excuses.

On a regular basis, visualize yourself achieving your goal. Make this visualization as vivid as possible by including all of your senses. What does success look like to you? What does it smell like? What do you hear around you? What words are you speaking on the road to achieving your goal? What have you been thinking that has led you to reaching your goal? What have you been feeling with your hands and your body? What have you been feeling with your emotions and your heart?

Now that you know the key ingredients there is nothing stopping you. You deserve the best and can achieve any goal you set out to accomplish!