Do you ever feel like you are working so hard at a goal in life but manifesting dreams takes so long that its hard to know what steps today will make a difference tomorrow? I feel like that a lot of the time. I often get lost in my "plotting and planning" that I do a lot of extra work that might not have needed to be done if I had been able to see the "straight line" from one goal to the next. Another problem people face is that sometimes getting from one goal to the next takes such a circumvented path that they get lost, or run into difficulty and give up.

In my own life I have found three important steps I take when I feel I am spinning my wheels or I have run aground. I use these in therapy with my clients to help them remain on the path to meeting their therapy goals or life goals. There are of course many ways to meeting life goals but these three I find to be at the top. They are repeatable at any stage of progress and they are spectacular at cutting through the bullshit and overwhelm and instantly bring clarity to what the next step should be.

1) Keep track of where you've been.

Once goals are set and you are on your journey, it is imperative to have something that reminds you of how much work you have done and what victories you have reached. This can be done any number of ways: charting, a spreadsheet if you like those, but my favorite way is simple journaling. Making a written record of what you have done, what needs to be done and how you feel about it all automatically keeps the steps in order. Just be careful of going down a rabbit hole where your tracking takes up more of your brain space and time than it does you good. For example: a person is trying to lose weight but then they get so obsessive with charting about counting calories, weighing themselves every day and how much exercise burns how many calories that they forget the goal of just becoming healthier.

2) Always be thinking about what action will produce the results you want/need at the stage of the game where you ARE as well as for tomorrow.

This action works hand in hand with #1 and is particularly helpful in that it keeps necessary steps right in front. For example: A person has an end goal of having a particular job but they have to have a job in the here and now too. They have a choice of employment at place 'A' or place 'B'. Place 'A' pays more but place 'A' is a dead end, i.e. little to no advancement possibilities and routine work that holds only a small amount of learning opportunities. Place 'B' does pay less but has room for advancement, provides a decent amount of training and has the potential of being a direct stepping stone along the path to the dream job. If the person takes time to consider all these things, they choose Place 'B' because it helps now AND later, and in many ways, whereas Place 'A' only helps right now, and in only one way. This is where writing it out is helpful. I use, and encourage my clients to use a 'Pros and Cons' worksheet to gain clarity derived from being able to see all the cards in black and white, side by side. You can download my favorite Pros and Cons worksheet in the Resources tab.

3) Having an accountability partner

Now I don't mean someone that is just a nag in your ear, I mean someone that can help walk you through your thoughts and actions, provide honest feedback about your progress and assist you with how to get back on track if you have strayed. A therapist is good for this or possibly a life coach. I can provide this service if needed.

These steps provide everything needed for success: planning, tracking, ideas for adjustments, space for adjustments, reminders of progress and honest feedback. The rest is up to you!

Good luck and good mental health