What did you do to accomplish your goals today?

As we get older, time becomes more valuable because it becomes more limited. When you are young, you feel like you have so much time to accomplish your goals, but before you know it, age starts creeping up on you and you may find you are older than you feel and there are many things you have yet to accomplish.

I recently found myself in somewhat of a rut, or treading water so to speak. Basically, just living the same routine day to day without really making any progress. This can be ok if you are content with your current situation, but it is always a good idea to strive for more and continue to try to improve your life even if things are already good.

I have never been the most ambitious person, but at the beginning of this year I did take the initiative to type up some goals. I found this helps to give some direction and makes you hold yourself accountable if something does not get done. It helps to get them down on paper or at least in a document so you can organize them, remember them, and keep track of your progress.

Recently I was thinking about how I was not making much progress and asked myself the question, “What did you do to accomplish your goals today?” Immediately I got a reality check of how I may not have been putting in enough effort to achieve my goals. If you are just doing the same thing everyday and not actively trying to imporve, chances are you will not cover much ground on your goals.

This comes into relation with time because as mentioned above, the time we have is limited and with every day that goes by, there is less opportunity to do what we want to do. You hear stories about how people have regrets about not doing more things when they were young and able. You may also hear stories about how people work hard their entire life looking forward to retirement only to pass away shortly after they have retired.

Because of this, it is important to take goals seriously and make a conscious effort to achieve them. In case you do not have any goals clearly defined, I recommend take some time to think about what you would like to do in short term, long term, as well as in general.

For short term goals, they can be things you want to do within the next year or so. These goals tend to be smaller and easier to accomplish. For longer term goals, they can be things that may take several years to accomplish or maybe things you want to do, but are not quite ready for or able to do yet. For general goals, they can be personal qualities you would like to improve upon over time.

Once you have your list, refer back to it often so you do not forget your goals. It can be a work in progress so you can add new goals and check off goals that have been completed. It gives a feeling of satisfaction and pride especially when you are able to check off one your big goals.

Life is short, so don't waste time. Make the most of every day so when you are older, you will have lived a full life without regret of having not accomplished the things you wanted to do.