Every year, around this time, I tend to get ultra-motivated about the goals I've set for the year ahead.  Over the past several weeks, I've reached a couple of positive milestones linked to some bigger goals.    Sadly, I often don't reach many of them.  But, thankfully, I was reminded of a life lesson that could create the breakthrough I need to achieve goals consistently.

A few months ago, my elderly dachshund started having trouble walking.  Every time he tried to take a step, he seemed to fall over.   I rushed him to the emergency vet who informed me that my dog had suffered a back injury that would require minimum $10,000 surgery. Another vet confirmed the problem and even suggested that I didn't do surgery because it wouldn't be worth it due to his age (she also subtly implied that I may have to put my dog down because he would never improve).  Discouraged, I went searching the internet for ideas on how to treat disc disease as his condition began to worsen.  Before long, I compiled a collection of supplements aimed to help heal his back.  

Every single day I followed a regimen, that I developed for him, in hopes that I'd see my dog walk again.  In the span of around 2.5 months, he went from not being able to move or stand on his own, to fully walking again. 

 No $10,000 surgery required. 

What do I owe for this unexpected result? 

Once I established a set daily routine to help his recovery, I never wavered from it.  I followed the same exact process day in and day out even on days where he seemed to get worse.  What kept me going was reading success stories from others who followed a similar process.  I knew that if I just kept executing the same steps, things could possibly turn around for my pup. 

 Looking back at those few months, I realized that I wasn't consistent with other routines as much as I was with his journey to recovery....that realization really opened my eyes to why I only achieved my goals sporadically.  

Consistency is a major key but what really made things happen was repeating the same behavior for several months.  

One of my fundamental flaws is taking my foot off the gas whenever I start seeing results.  If I lose a few pounds after eating healthier for a little while, I treat myself to a bunch of junk food wiping away what little results I had.  Creating sustainable results has always been a weakness of mine.  Now, I've come to realize the error of my ways.

Have you already written down your goals for next year? Great!  Now you gotta identify the routine that will guarantee your success.  Like me, you can mirror the routines of others who've accomplished what you desire.  Then you have it identify a minimum length of time that you'll allow before ever giving up.  With every goal established, you should consider dedicating 3-6 months at a minimum.  I once went to a seminar where the speaker talked about dedicating a full year of consistent action in order to reach the big goal she set for herself. In order to stay dedicated for the entire year, you simply set up various milestones along the way so you know that you're heading in the right direction.  

So now that my eyes are opened to the power of long-term consistency, I'm extremely excited for the year ahead. No more will I be discouraged after working on my goals for a few weeks at a time.  From now on, I'm in it for the long game.  This will also lower any potential anxiety or discouragement if I don't experience results right away.  

Consistent daily, long-term, action has the power to change everything.