It’s a simple equation really. You set a goal. You put in the hard work, the sweat, the time and dedication. Eventually over time you achieve your goal and repeat the process.
Let me emphasize one key part.
Eventually over time you achieve your goal.
Have you ever caught yourself so motivated watching others succeed and seeing them in a position you want to be in? So you impulsively set a goal for yourself.
“Wow! My buddy is looking so fit now. I’m going to go on a diet and start working out, so I can have a body like them”.
Sure your diet and exercise may last a couple of days, maybe even a week until your motivation runs dry. But where is your mind when you lose motivation? Slowly you start falling back into your old habits and routines only to be the same person you were yesterday. If only that motivation was still there. If only you could stay motivated forever.
I’m not going sit here and say that motivation is a bad thing. It’s merely a flame to light your fire. But, where is the fuel to your fire? What keeps you going when times get tough? When you want to quit and go back to watching Netflix.
The answer is discipline.
Discipline is being able to wake up everyday and take steps forward towards a goal that you set for yourself. It’s being able to keep a promise to yourself even when you don’t want to. It’s staying consistent and doing what you said you would. It’s being able to keep going when you lack motivation.
Most long-term goals (getting a better body, becoming a doctor, achieving an award, learning an instrument, getting a masters degree, etc.) take an incredible amount of time and discipline. Much longer than motivation can last. It’s difficult to go through a long, hard road without any instant gratification. But you have to have the end in mind. You have to think of the delayed gratification at the end of the tunnel. The sense of fulfillment you finally get after such a long journey.
We are so used to getting instant gratification to us through social media or other addictive habits we indulge in. It almost feels unnatural when we actually have to wait for something good to happen to us. We are inpatient in most aspects of our lives. We want it NOW and we have to have it. Neglecting at what rewards we can reap if we are patient.
It may be cliche, but good things will always come to those who wait.
There is nothing sweeter than achieving a goal and looking back at all you went through. All of the sacrifice. All of the hard work. An instant feeling of fulfillment after months/years of struggle and discipline. It is truly a beautiful thing.
Here are a few things I do to take steps towards reaching my goals everyday and stay discipline:
Daily Victories
Every day I don’t work I make sure to accomplish at least these specific tasks that are related to long-term goals I have set for myself. If I accomplish all of my daily victories for that day, then I have won the day and I am one small step closer to reaching my long-term goals. If I don’t complete them all, then I have officially lost and I need to do better! It’s really as simple as that. My daily goals are:
- Read 10–20 pages or more (Right now I’m reading about Real Estate because it’s related to one of my long-term goals, but if I’m not reading about that I’m usually reading self-development books or medicine)
- Workout
- Study for my Critical Care Registered Nursing (CCRN) certification or study cardiology for at least 1–2 hours.
Set Monthly Goals
The daily victories are more for smaller tasks. Think of monthly goals as your medium-term goals that are used to help you achieve your long-term goals. For example, you want to buy a new car in cash. Your monthly goal this month would be to save 50% of your monthly income. Maybe your daily victory would be to not eat out at all in order to save money. You should look at monthly goals as larger stepping stones to achieve your long-term goals.
Your Goals Should Have Goals
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Your long-term goals don’t just happen in one big step. There are several steps along the way that will help you reach your ultimate goal. Set smaller goals, or steps, along the way to help you. I will show you my current long-term goals followed the smaller steps I need to do in order to get there.
- Become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
Take the GRE —Take Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry — Get my CCRN and CMC— Volunteer — Fill a leadership/committee role in my unit — listen to ICU/CRNA related podcasts
These are the things I need to do just before applying to any programs. There are many other things I need to do once I start apply and all these are accomplished, but we won’t get into that.
2. Develop a Real Estate Investment Portfolio
Budget every month — Save money for a down payment — Read and self educate on real estate everyday — Attend a real estate investors meeting every month — listen to real estate related podcasts (Bigger Pockets) — attend open houses to network with agents and to get to know the market
Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin
As you may have noticed above, I only have two primary goals. I want to become a CRNA and I want to invest in real estate. In reality, these are not the only two things I want to do in life. There is so much out there that I wish I could do, but there is so little time. You have to remind yourself that you are only one person. You also have to think to yourself “would I rather be an expert at a few things, or a jack of all trades master of NONE”. I’ll take the former.
Thank you all for reading and remember:
Discipline and patience are key. Set a goal, stick to it even when it gets difficult, and reap the rewards at the end. Enjoy the journey.
