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Planning, timing, and execution require energy, discipline, and focus.  But what is rarely discussed is how often we become bogged down in this loop at the expense of getting something or anything accomplished.  It’s the adage, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.  Goal achievement, at its core, is moving in a direction that gets to your stated objective.  We often waste time and energy planning when we should be taking action to get started.

Proper planning is filled with myths and misperceptions.  Even the most updated maps have gaps that would be revealed if we took the time to travel down the unknown road.  It’s essential to have an idea and vision for what you want to achieve, but it’s more important to get moving on that vision regardless of how well-planned you are at the start.  Even the best-laid plans get modified or changed along the way.  We learn new things, become aware of our misperceptions, or realize that we may have been going in the wrong direction all along.

You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.

-Carl Jung

Remember, plans can change.  The ideas and goals you have for yourself are going to change.  You will have experiences, meet new people, read different books, and modify your plans while traveling uncharted territory.  It may not seem that way if you’re taking consistent action, but I would challenge you to track your progress and reflect on your accomplishments.   It may differ from the original vision.

We can get so caught up in what we want to achieve that we miss the lessons learned along the way.  These lessons are the most important thing about goal setting.  We may remember the feeling of success, but we certainly recall the sacrifices, failures, and lessons learned.  We keep these experiences with us throughout our lives and refer to them when making new decisions or setting goals.  It’s the lifeblood of experience, and some of the best come from poor choices about what we want or where to go.

Timing is everything.  This is the furthest thing from the truth, and there’s no evidence to support the notion that a “perfect” time exists for whatever you want to accomplish.  The perfect time is always now, and it doesn’t matter what now looks like.  Even at our lowest, there are things we can do and actions we can take to move in a new direction.  Nothing says we have to wait until January 1st to make a new resolution, start a new exercise program on Monday, or wait until we lose 10, 20, or 30 lbs. before signing up for a 5K race.  Focus on what you want and take action immediately. 

The biggest challenge is maintaining momentum once we’ve started on our journey.  More often than not, we make lofty goals and set the bar high when we’re in a comfortable place and a positive state of mind.  In these moments, anything is possible.  What happens when we have a bad day, week, or month?  How can we maintain momentum when we’re losing enthusiasm and doubt that we’ll ever achieve anything worthwhile?

The voice of doubt is something we create in our minds.  The same mind that created your goal is the same mind that nurtures self-doubt.  This is normal and takes some perspective to understand.  Our mind favors familiarity and wants us to stay the same.  Any change is considered unknown and inherently dangerous.  The simplest way to combat this unknown is to create self-doubt, fear, and feelings that it is not worth the effort.  We start questioning our motives or rationalizing away why it’s not important.  If we maintain momentum, we can acknowledge these thoughts, learn from them, and immediately dismiss them.  The alternative is quitting and likely starting again at square one—something we’ve all done in the past but can stop doing now.

The most effective way to do it, is to do it.

-Amelia Earhart

Author and speaker James Clear has a solution for maintaining momentum or not losing it.  If you succumb to laziness and skip a workout, make sure you don’t miss two in a row.  Cheat on your diet?  Decide that the next thing you eat is healthy and on the meal plan.  Positive behaviors support other positive behaviors, so don’t allow one misstep to throw you off track.  Everyone has bad moments but don’t allow them to build into a bad day.  Recognize the error, acknowledge the cause, and immediately take positive action.

Small mistakes won’t throw us off our game if we recognize them when they occur and immediately snuff them out.  We have to make mistakes to build the muscles necessary to overcome them.  I’m not suggesting that you should proactively make mistakes, but there will be times when you won’t be operating at 100%.  You’ll have a mental lapse; listen to the voice that says to do this unproductive thing versus the thing that moves you closer to your goal.  It’s normal and an opportunity to build a new habit of action when you recognize that feeling.

Decide right now that you will take immediate action on your desired goals.  It doesn’t matter how small.  Then do it again, and again, and again.  Don’t overthink it or dwell on it; act now.  There’s a satisfying feeling of accomplishment, especially when we’re starting on something new and exciting.  Focus on each step of the journey because each move you closer to what you want and further away from what you don’t.