Are Your Goals Gridlocked?

The best way to forecast how well someone will do on a job is to look at past performance.  The same is true with goals.  Some people are able to set goals and accomplish them.  Today's story is for those who can't break the gridlock.  No matter what they do, they hit a traffic jam.  The weight won't come off.  The retirement account won't grow.  The credit card debt won't shrink.  Here are some suggestions that may help:

1. Don't sign up for a gym membership at the beginning of the New Year.  The gridlock will annoy you.  The long lines are from the same people every year who promise themselves this year will be different.  Within thirty days they will give up.  Instead of waiting until the new year to get in shape, start today.  No one is thinking about resolutions at this time of the year.  Why not get in shape when there's no gridlock at the gym?  You have 90 days to try this out before the gridlock.
2. Invest in a fitness DVD.  My children discovered how quickly you can change your body without leaving your home.  Twenty minute workouts can transform your body in less than 30 days.
3. Sign up for automatic investing.  The reason your retirement account is stagnant is because you pay everyone else before you pay yourself.  Is that expensive car payment really worth more than a healthy retirement account?  Instead of signing up for a lifetime of car payments, stop buying expensive new cars and use the money you save to make automatic monthly payments to your retirement account at the beginning of each month.
4. Put up some speed bumps on your spending.  Your savings account is gridlocked because your debt load is in overdrive.  Decide today that you are going to lock up your credit cards.  If you can't pay cash for something, don't buy it.
5. Focus on one goal at a time.  You may be gridlocked because you're trying to accomplish too many goals at the same time.  Decide today what the single most important goal is and then work on it for the next thirty days until it becomes a way of life.  On New Year's Day you can tell the world, I eliminated all the gridlock in my life."  Once the gridlock is broken, you will gain the confidence to work on all your other plans for the New Year.

What are you going to do today to break the gridlock in your life?  How will your life be better if you can work on your top goal for the next thirty days and make it a lifetime habit?  Please share your thoughts so you can be an inspiration to others.  Thanks for joining the conversation.