Under Pressure: Setting Yourself Up For Success, Even Under Quarantine
Hello friends! The third quarter of the year started, yet many of us feel stuck, suspended, on pause or in very slow motion. The pandemic has forced us to go through the stages of loss and grief; shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Although we will cycle through these stages, if we arrived, even momentarily, to the acceptance stage we can start setting ourselves up for success.
Disclaimer, being quarantined or staying at home for precautionary measures does not mean we HAVE to come out of this with the next billion dollar idea or the next bestseller. It is, however, an opportunity to self-reflect. Self-reflection, almost inevitably, brings us to goal setting. Let’s use this time to set our goals for these next three months, make our vision boards and work with our commitments. Below you will find our 5 tips to set ourselves up for success, even under quarantine:
Write down the goals! A study conducted at Dominican University in California reported that we are 42% more likely to achieve our goals when we write them down. It gives intentionality to our thoughts and actions, and it generally shifts our energy levels, in a positive manner.
Let’s be as specific as we can with our goals. It’s okay to break down the goals into smaller, achievable steps in order to maintain the drive and sense of accomplishment. It creates a snowball effect of “I can do this!”
Set a timeline. Setting a window of time in which we want to complete our part of the task is key. It will help with self-accountability and it helps us see the finish line in a clearer fashion.
Find an accountability buddy. Sometimes knowing that there is another person invested in our well being, works in maintaining focus. Also if we find it easy to let ourselves slack, we may find it more difficult to let someone else down, and that will put a fire in us in order to show our progress to our accountability partner.
Create a visual representation of goals. Creating a success story, a vision board, a quarterly goal & projection board, a word/phrase of the month, will work in engaging all parts of our brain. It is a daily reminder of why we are doing what we are doing, where our intentional actions are working, and it helps us focus on achieving success in those goals in our allotted timeframe.
These are just a few tips on how to set ourselves up for success during pandemic times. If any, or all, of these tips resonated with you. If you find yourself struggling with setting goals for life because anxiety, depression or trauma have left you feeling devoid of motivation or drive, please give us a call. You can reach us at 813-434-3639 to set up a free phone consultation or to set up your therapy appointment. Let Dr. Yiara Blanco, at Harper Therapy, be your home for Hope, Growth and Healing.
