# Achieving your goals in 59 seconds



## LostPancake (Apr 8, 2009)

there were 5 things the successful people did: 
1. break goals into smaller steps
2. tell friends and family what you're trying to achieve (or post on here!)
3. remind yourself of the benefits of reaching your goals
4. give yourself a small reward for each step taken
5. map out your progress in a journal or spreadsheet, or something

when i was younger i had a cbt therapist who made me do this and it really worked. i kind of fell off the wagon over the years though. i think depression kept derailing me.


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## mind_games (Nov 30, 2008)

Thanks for these timely tips .


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## dreamj (Nov 7, 2009)

This is good stuff...thanks!


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## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

how exactly do you reward yourself???
what if my goals are to lose weight and save money?
then i cant exactly reward myself with junk food or with a spending spree now can i


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## LostPancake (Apr 8, 2009)

^ You can reward yourself by patting yourself on the back and saying "good job". My first CBT therapist said that and I laughed but she made me actually do it. Or imagine a crowd cheering. 

It sounds silly, but at least in my experience, when you feel utterly ****ty and depressed, rewarding yourself for actually DOING something that was difficult really does make a difference. 

Like if you were trying to lose weight, every time you resisted eating a cookie you could do that. 

It gives you a little bit of dopamine, and then it makes it easier to do in the future, because your brain wants more dopamine, so you wind up actually WANTING to do these little steps.


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