How to Crush Your Goals in 2024

Christine Li  0:00  
Welcome to the year 2024. And welcome back to the Make Time for Success podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Christine Li, thank you so much for being here with me today. This is episode number 160. 

To start this year off before the podcast and with each other, I thought I would begin with a little story about my dog walk this morning this morning, I was reviewing some of the big concept wishes and ideas that I have for my own life for 2024 ideas and wishes that I've plunked down fully and firmly on my vision board for the year. And I was thinking to myself, what is the common denominator of all of these ideas that I have, and a little light bulb went off, or maybe a big light bulb went off? Because I came up with the idea that each of these wishes requires me to change. So change will be the theme of today's episode. And change is the vehicle through which each of us get something new. It's the vehicle through which we get to ascend and discard and become and develop. So I would love for you to have the idea of change in your mind as you listen to me describe four concepts that are important for being able to crush your goals in the coming year. That's the topic for today how to crush all of your goals in the coming year. Wouldn't that be fantastic? Let's keep that as a vision for ourselves that we have full success this year. There is nothing that can stop us when we really have ourselves ready to go. And our concepts are in place. And we are ready to do a bit of changing. I can't wait to share this episode with you. And I'm so grateful to start a brand new spanking year with you. Thanks again for being here. Let's go listen to the episode together now.

Hi, I'm Dr. Christine Li, and I'm a psychologist and a procrastination coach. I've helped 1000s of people move past procrastination and overwhelm so they can begin working to their potential. In this podcast, you're going to learn a powerful strategies for getting your mind, body and energy to work together so that you can focus on what's really important and accomplish the goals you want to achieve. When you start living within your full power, you're going to see how being productive can be easy, and how you can create success on demand. Welcome to the Make Time for Success podcast.

Hi everyone, I am so happy to be able to welcome the year 2024 with you. And today I thought that it would be a great idea to go over some of the core basic strategies, the most powerful strategies for crushing your goals this year. For me, there are at least four really essential constructs to keep in mind when you're going about your business during the day when you're reaching for your big goals. When you're just being yourself. The four that I've chosen today really have a lot of deep meaning for me, they have really helped me to achieve the goals that I have set for myself, and to set big visions for this coming year. So I want to share them with you now. The first one on the list is absolutely the most important it is to believe in yourself without self belief. It's kind of like sailing with a little bit of a hole in your boat. You don't want to have a leaky boat, you want to fully set sail with a clean, well put together, examined boat, whenever you're sailing, you would never want to go out with a leak in your boat. And the same goes for the way you carry yourself the way you believe in yourself. Whenever you are doing, I would say even the smallest venture that you want to make sure that you set the stage by making sure you are calling your energy in you are believing in yourself. You're believing in your plan. You're believing in your potential when you have all of that together that creates a very powerful energy that can really carry you through even the greatest of challenges. So I want you to think to yourself, looking ahead to the year 2024? What do you need to believe in yourself more for? What big goal? Are you striving for? What is the goal that makes you quaking in your boots a little bit, I want you to have that kind of goal, because I think those kinds of big vision, ideas are exciting, they challenge us, they make us stretch ourselves, they make us expand outside of our comfort zone. And without those big size goals, we don't get to see the full extent of who we are. So first step is to set your self belief really high, fully, no leaking the boats, you're just setting off very confidently, and then go straight for your goals. When we have a leaky boat, when you're kind of doubting ourselves, and these things do happen, of course, that we can get thought in our head. It's not the right time, oh, I just feel like I don't have energy today, those kinds of thoughts, I want you to know that it's those periods of time when we do try to head towards the big goals, that we end up traveling much more slowly, we end up making very back and forth progress. We're not really feeling the thrill of meeting the challenge. We're going slowly, we're feeling frustrated, we're wondering if things are really possible. And we're occasionally, at least if not frequently, butting heads with our feelings of frustration. And I just want to help you bypass all of that, by encouraging you to say, I fully believe in myself, that is not up for question anymore. Christine told me to do this, and I'm going to try this out, I really do suggest that you start out any project with this philosophy in mind, set the self belief upfront, and you'll find that your travels go much more smoothly after that. In my notes, here, I've written that on my 2024 vision board, which I actually did create this year, I created it in December of 2023. And to my surprise, I put down the piece of the collage that said Ted Talk. And for me, the idea of doing a TED talk has been an idea for many, many years, it's been kind of interesting to me, kind of terrifying to me. And this year, there was space on the vision board, it was just that top left corner. And my intuition said, You know what, go for it. And it might happen this year, it might not I don't actually know how much time it takes to apply and be accepted and prepare to actually deliver a TED talk on stage in front of cameras, with all of the self belief present for the world to see. But I thought I would try to bring that into my vision this year. And so I've mentioned it to you now now it's an even bigger wish, because I've made it known to you. But it's already been established because it's been on my vision board. But the reason why I mentioned it here is because I believe just from watching the few TED Talks that I've seen over the years, that one doesn't do a TED talk without a really healthy amount of self belief that the person is believing in their message. But they're also believing in themselves so much that they can get up on that stage and let it all run for the cameras and for the audience and for the world. So may I have that amount of self belief this year, we shall see. The second core piece of advice that I have for you for crushing your goals this year, is to be authentic. And this is something that I've been thinking about of late. I think I'm really influenced by social media, and people are really mentioning how much easier it is to be yourself. Instead of being someone else being the person for the cameras being the person who is all bright and shiny when you're feeling awkward inside. I think there's a trend lately of showing up authentically on social media if we can even show up authentically on social media, but I do feel in my own life that the more myself I'm being the more fun I'm having and I really wanted to share that with you because I do think that is an indication of how you're doing that if you're feeling really happy. If you're feeling fulfilled if you're feeling energized. If you're feeling excited that these are really good indication As from yourself from your body, from your mind, from your heart, that you are being yourself that you are acting as your highest self that you are fulfilling, whatever purpose you have on this planet, that those good feelings, those charged electric type of feelings are indication that you are acting as yourself. And I feel that we express our greatest power, when we are able to reveal our authentic self. So that means different things. For each one of us, our authentic self is going to look very differently from everyone else's authentic self. I think that is why it can be such a huge waste of time for us to compare ourselves to other people, for us to want to dress and sound like other people, for us to want to compete with other people. Because what other people are doing is really none of our business, our main source of business is deciding and defining and exploring and digging deep into who we are. What can we offer to the world that is uniquely our gift to the world? What problems can we solve by healing our wounds and our neuroses and our fears, and really stepping forward as our true selves being awkward, if we're awkward, being funny, if we're funny, being stupid, if we're stupid, or whatever it is, to really own that, and then be aligned with yourself aligned with your message aligned with your voice aligned with your body and your energy. I think it's a very healthy feeling whenever I can get to that state. I feel I know it because I feel well. So that is one thing that I would like to suggest for you to explore this year, how can you be a little bit more authentic? How can you express yourself without feeling like, you have to apologize for it, or you have to feel embarrassed for being you because it kind of bounces back with point number one of really believing in yourself. If you really believe in yourself, you can be much more authentic, because you know, that you yourself are a value, you are worthy. You don't have to prove anything to anyone because you know, in your heart of hearts that you are good enough as you are. So experiment with being really authentic, really pushing it far out this year, so that you can play more, because when we are worried about comparison and judgment and criticism, and not doing well enough, we're losing our authentic self. And we lose a piece of our voice in our being when we're all caught up in that comparison trap and that game. All right. The third concept that will help you to crush your goals in 2024 is for you to steer clear of negativity, you've heard me mention this before, on the podcast, I am quite sure of that. Because one of the biggest tools I've used for making time for success is the tool of remaining positive I feel like I'm a naturally positive person. But of course, I've had many times in my life very big phases of my life, even where I've been steeped in negativity. And honestly, I feel now at this point in my life, that when we are thinking negative thoughts, they are important indications of disappointment, dissatisfaction, frustration, things that we need to change. But the mistake that we can make when we're feeling negatively is to think that we're not good enough, I now use my feelings as a gauge of what's going on. Rather than a statement of who I am, I now believe in myself fully. And I believe that my negative feelings when they come up, and they are more rare these days, that when they come up, they're a signal that I might need to change something. They're a signal that I might have lost my way, in terms of being my authentic self and living my purpose. They might be an indication that there's something for me to look out for or to be extra careful about. But again, they are no longer those negative feelings are no longer a message to me that I am not good enough. I used to think that I no longer do that kind of self torture, because it's not fun and it doesn't help me in any way. And I have found better ways. A better way to go is to lean toward As the positive way of viewing things every single time, I have found that any situation no matter how terrible can be seen, in a more positive light, it takes some mental effort. But you can get really good at doing that mental effort because the effort is always worth it. Because the result we get is a positive view that helps us feel like we have options to survive, we have options to weather the storm, we have options to take another road out to maybe get out of the traffic jam a little bit faster than we would have otherwise. And of course, these traffic jams, take all sorts of forms, whether it be procrastination or illness, or conflict with another person, or misunderstanding that you have someone these things are all transient. And when we stick with a negative view of things, these transient events take longer to get out of, and I just want us to conserve all of our energy, lean towards the positive. So we can really head towards those meaningful goals of ours, they are big, they are meaningful, they will change our lives and the lives of those around us. So it's important to do our best to keep an eye on what's going well in our lives, what we can be grateful for what we can say positively to ourselves, and to the ones we love the people who are in our orbit, I think this is a really valuable way to make sure we're on track for our goals. Another message about concept number three, steer clear of negativity is that if you find yourself feeling negatively, it's oftentimes a sign that you are in the wrong time zone, you're either thinking about the past, meaning that you're regretting something that you've done already, and you wish you hadn't done or you're thinking about the future, you're feeling some sort of anxiety, frustration or worry, or big time fear about what's about to happen, both the past and the future. Although relevant time zones are not the timezone that you're currently operating in this time zone, the present moment, is really where you can use the tips that I've already mentioned, Tip one, which is to believe in yourself fully, you can do that, in the present moment, you can decide for yourself, I'm starting this way I'm believing in myself, the other thing you can do is you can be authentic in the present moment, because you don't have to be steeped in regret. And you don't have to be overcome by worry when you're really focused and rooted in the present moment. So those are some extra tips for ways to stay positive, stay in the present moment, believe in yourself. And go, action tends to be a great energy generator, it tends to give us information about who we are and what we need to do next. And it helps us to crush our goals too. Now we are on concept number four, which is a big one. And actually, is the concept where I advise you to think big, really, really big, big like you've never thought big before. And why do I add this as our last pillar?

I add this because I think we make the mistake of thinking too small. I think we all do this, even the big thinkers, because really this guy isn't even the limit. What if there was unlimited possibilities? For each one of us? What if we're missing millions of ideas, millions of new prospects, millions of possibilities. Just because we're thinking there are only five options or there are only four concepts. For us. There were definitely dozens of concepts that I could have taught you today in this podcast episode, but I chose for just for the sake of time and sanity. But really, the options are so open for all of us in all areas. So when we're planning for 2024, and we're thinking about how to crush our goals and to meet our expectations, I want you to think big, not only about your goals and your plans to get there, but to think big about yourself to think about what potential Have you not access yet? I mentioned a couple minutes ago about my idea of doing a TED talk. I have never used that kind of energy before in my life. I don't think I've made some speeches, but nothing as challenging as what I imagined a TED talk will be like, so I'm beginning to think bigger for myself and I'm wondering for you. I'm going to ask you the question now. What An area of your life can you think bigger about can you think bigger about your career, about your family, about your health, about your spirituality and your energy? Can you think bigger about your retirement? Or about your grandchildren or your other family members, whatever it is for you, whatever you care about, in your heart, think to yourself, how can I play bigger? How can I imagine a bigger, more fun, more beneficial results, and I invite you to enjoy that exercise, I know it can be really helpful, it has helped my clients and myself to get rid of limitations, get rid of those constraints, that can be very limiting these ideas that we don't have enough time, that can be something that you can really do away with right now. Because we all have an abundance of time, sometimes we're just not taking care of our energy enough to make use of that time. So start to think big, and you will find time, because you'll get more excited about the goals on your plate, you'll get more energized, because you're reaching a bigger goal. It's okay to have stretch goals on your vision board and in your heart. Because they cause you to be bigger, and to operate in a bigger way and to communicate to other people around you. That you mean to do big things, it is okay to show up as your full self. Everyone has that. Right? That ability in themselves is just a matter of which ones of us are going to step up to the plate and really show up in that way. And I hope that is everyone that is listening to this episode, right now. Okay. So remember that your comfort zone is meant to keep you comfortable, but that we don't always have to remain comfortable. And when you stretch outside your comfort zone, guess what happens? Your Comfort Zone increases, you get to decide, oh, I'm really good at speaking on stages at TED talks to imagine that. And then all of a sudden, you're someone who has accomplished the thing that you used to be terrified of doing you used to think was so beyond you. And as I was writing my notes for preparing for this episode, I thought to myself, wow, it is season four, the beginning of season four of this podcast. And podcasting. For me a long time ago, about three years ago, was something that felt like a TED talk, it felt like something I would never be able to manage. It felt like something I would never be able to maintain. It felt like something that wasn't meant for people like me. But what did I know? Because three years later, not a week having been missed. I am a podcaster. So maybe we'll see what's up in store for me in my friend Ted. And we will see also what is in store for you for the year 2024. I wish you every happiness. I wish you radiant health. I wish for you really big thoughts of really big goals that are aligned with your needs, with your joy, with your ability and with your purpose for being here on this planet. May you find more of yourself this year. That is my heartfelt wish to you. Thank you so much for listening to these four concepts to review. I would love for you to believe in yourself. I would love for you to be authentically you this year. I would love for you to steer very clear of anything negative or negativity. And I would love for you to think big for not only you, but for those around you including me because you're part of my tribe now to thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed this first episode of the year and I look forward to delivering you really high content, high quality content, high content, great guests, and great inspiration for the rest of this year. Take care, I'll see you next week. 

Thank you for listening to this episode of The Make Time for Success podcast. If you enjoyed what you've heard, you can subscribe to make sure you get notified of upcoming episodes. You can also visit our website maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com for past episodes, show notes and all the resources we mentioned on the show. Feel free to connect with me over on Instagram too. You can find me there under the name procrastination coach. Send me a DM and let me know what your thoughts are about the episodes you've been listening to. And let me know any topics that you might like me to talk about on the show. I'd love to hear all about how you're making time for success. We'll talk to you soon!

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