Hit your goals: 4 foundations to help you - Slick Pivot

When we proactively make a decision to pivot from the place we are now, to somewhere new, it can be overwhelming.

For most, our desire for growth is a constant, and our ability to hit our goals comes down to our approach. 

I believe the secret to pivoting towards our goals successfully is to create small consistent, repetitive behaviours so we can facilitate change more gradually

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle

When we proactively form regular, positive behaviours, towards our goals they become a hell of a lot more achievable.

Regularity exercises muscle memory in our brains. Positivity breeds positivity, removing the overwhelm. 

You can apply these four foundations to any area of your life, whether it be health, hobbies, career or relationships:

1. Go big, then go small. 

Create a big vision for what you want. A vision is simply a moment in your future where you have your perfect world.

It’s the way you’d like everything to be. It’s best to write this down and incorporate as many senses as you can.

What do you hear, see, smell, feel? Write it down or create a visual “vision board”, then put it somewhere you can see it every day. 

Taking a few minutes each day to write or draw in a journal. Doing this helps to turn visions, affirmations, and gratitude into habits.

Each morning, write down a few things that you are grateful for, what would make your day great, and an affirmation or two.

That is a great way to kick start your day. End your day by recapping the day, celebrating a few small wins, and identifying one or two things that you can improve on.

Doing that gets your subconscious rolling and working on the next day while you sleep.

2. Nourish your body and mind in the morning. 

During major pivots (more than ever) our bodies need to be treated super kindly so that we have the energy, brain-space and courage to operate outside our comfort zones and implement change. 

“Morning routine” is a self-help buzzword right now, I’d prefer not to jump on the bandwagon, but they really do work.

For us busy mamas we might not have the luxury of long uninterrupted meditations, but find something that works for you. 

I use tech to help me…I find the Headspace ten minute guided meditations really useful and I journal for a few minutes on my iPhone when I wake up.

I note how I’m feeling, what I want to get out of the day (my tiny step) and what I’m grateful for. Then I eat a good breakfast. 

3. Buddy Up. 

Telling someone else your vision makes it real. It also means that by putting it out there you may be more likely to do something about it.

You can turn this into a real positive by finding an accountability buddy. Someone you can check in with at regular intervals.

They could be a friend or colleague with a similar mission to you or a coach where you can have a more formal set up. 

They say “a problem shared is a problem halved”, so find your buddy that can support, encourage and challenge you. You’ll find you get so much more done in between chats. 

4. High five every tiny step

Have a mini celebration each time you complete a tiny step. That celebration might simply be giving yourself a high five, emailing your buddy or taking a walk down the river, looking at the sky and feeling pleased with yourself. 

 “It’s the little details that are vital. They make the big things happen.” - John Wooden. 

By giving ourselves recognition for each little thing, we celebrate progress, positivity is reinforced and our motivation continues. 

The key to successful pivots is to turn these four foundations into habits.

Try not to worry too much, just see what happens if you commit to practising these four things for a week.

I wonder what you will have achieved by the end of the week? 

This post was originally written as a guest blog for the lovely Olivia Horne, a happiness coach for mamas.

Liz Ward is Founder and Coach at Slick Pivot. Slick Pivot helps new and seasoned entrepreneurs get good at change. Supporting your pivot journey through one to one coaching, bespoke team workshops, and events to help you find more happiness and growth in your work, whether that is quitting your 9-5, starting and growing that business or developing the right mindset for success. 

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