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Having trouble reaching your goals?  Here are few suggestions for getting where you want to go from Heidi Grant Halvorson, a motivational psychologist.

First, be as precise as possible.  When you set a goal to find a new job that you enjoy, for example, you need to specify the exact type of job you want, not just simply set as your goal to “find new job.”

Do it now.  Take advantage of an opportunity to make steps toward your goal.  When you have the time, make the effort to move toward your goal.  Revamp your resume, if getting a new job is a goal.  But to do this, you need to decide beforehand exactly when and where you are going to take the step toward your goal.  Tell yourself, “Monday and 2 o’clock, I will start reworking my resume,” for example.

Keep tabs on your progress.  How much have you accomplished so far, and how much farther do you have left to go?  If you don’t know how your progress is going, you can’t make adjustments if you need to.

Be prepared to work.  When you start out, be confident about achieving your goal, but realize that it is going to take hard work, and prepare yourself for that.

Think about getting better.  You need to focus on taking small steps at improvement, because improvement will come.  You can improve.  Abilities can be acquired with practice.  You can change.

Be tough.  You need to keep at it even when you encounter obstacles.  You need to make a commitment to your long-term goals and stick with it.  Not sure you have the toughness?  Again, persistence, planning and effort will go a long way to help you develop that toughness.

Build willpower by doing something every day that you would rather not do.  Like anything else, you can build willpower through practice.  Start with something small, and plan how you will tackle the difficulties when they occur.  It will be hard at first, but as you work at it, it will become easier.  Discipline in just one area begets discipline in other areas, if you keep with it. Just do one thing that requires discipline every day. Soon enough, you’ll find that you discipline “muscle” has grown exponentially.

By the same token, don’t take on more than you can handle.  Don’t try and do too much at once.

Focus on what you will do, not what you won’t do.  You’re not going to break a bad habit by just stopping it.  It will be much easier to break by replacing it with a good habit instead.  So focus on what you are going to do to establish that good habit.

If you’re looking for a new position in the Manhattan area, the one thing you can do today is contact a recruiter at Winston Resources. We can help you find a new direction within one of the many temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire positions we have with some of New York’s top firms. Contact us today!


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