Staying Motivated: Turning Your Goals into Achievements

Twenty twenty-four is sixty percent behind us and all around me, back-to-school preparations are underway. This part of the year always inspires me to look at where I am, where I've been, and where I'm going - it's not the middle of the year, but the renewed drive toward productivity is a perfect midpoint for evaluating and resetting our goals. I can definitely say that while some things have gone perfectly according to plan, there are a few that need a little more effort to feel truly successful! Thankfully, there's still forty percent of this year to go, so I'm not too late to make this a fabulous year to look back on - and neither are you.

Stick with me to the end of this post for my number one strategy in getting things done - but first, here are three of my biggest goal categories for the year, along with some updates on how they're progressing:

SOCIAL: After last year's chaos, I desperately wanted more peace in my life. At this point, I'm grateful to say I've achieved that in so many ways: I've got a great group of women who step up and show up when I need support, someone to talk to, or even a shoulder to cry on. These women build me up, hear me out, and aren't afraid to set me in my place when I need it! To sweeten the deal, these same women trust me with their stories and their vulnerabilities; they always have my back, and they honor me with the chance to have theirs.

HEALTH: I've lost a little weight this year. Not a lot, and not quite as much as I'd like, but enough to make me smile a little when I'm getting dressed and my t-shirts don't hug my fatter arm quite as desperately as they used to. I've also gotten the ball rolling on a few other things I've been meaning to look into.

CAREER: I finished writing and editing the expanded second-edition of FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM, got the gorgeous new cover set up, and created a book trailer. I'm gathering promotional materials, and will be working to set up pre-order options soon - this book is due to release on May 8, 2025, and I can hardly contain the excitement! I've been keeping myself busy in the waiting though, and STILL FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM is coming along slowly but surely (don't forget to check the sidebar for updates!). I wish I could say it was coming faster, but I'm proud to be able to say I'm giving Christine's story the very best of my effort and energy.

What's funny to me is that sometimes people ask me how I manage my life despite the everyday struggles that come hand in hand with being me. People see me at church or interact with me through my writing, and they're often surprised to learn that I'm a disabled single mom with complex PTSD. Almost inevitably, they'll ask some version of, "How do you do it all?" and occasionally, they'll even add a surprised touch of, "You make it look so easy!" 

The thing is, it isn't. I have chronic back pain, balance issues, headaches, heat intolerance, and food allergies. With PTSD, I live my life in a steady rotation of anxiety, depression, insomnia, brain fog, forgetfulness, and flashbacks. And my daughter has several of those same issues, along with a few others of her own.

But the show must go on - so here's my favorite one-step strategy to keep the ball rolling and convert goals into accomplishments:

Vincent Van Gogh wasn't just a guy who decided to make something beautiful. He's known for great works of art, but none of his incredible paintings materialized instantly in his hands. They were all created one idea at a time, one brush stroke at a time. One moment at a time.

This is how I stay motivated; I keep myself in the moment as much as possible. I can't do anything about yesterday because it's over - and while I can't control tomorrow, I can imagine in the present what I want my future to look like. I can visualize the future I want to live in, reverse engineer that future by asking myself how I might get from "here" to "there," and then take steps right now that will hopefully build what I want to experience later.

It seems so simple, so understated. Almost too simple to be workable. But it does work.

One little step at a time, one tiny chance, one carefully made decision, one boundary line drawn in the proverbial sand. Because in those small things, we do truly make great things happen.

Bonus tip? In keeping yourself in the moment, in that purposeful, intentional mindfulness, you lose some of the regret of the past. You some of the fear of the future. And the longer you stay in the moment, with clear goals broken down to manageable steps, the more readily you're able to...