We are already in the fifth month of the year. And if you’re like most people, you’re probably wondering why you’ve not achieved your 2019 goals.

Studies have shown that 80% of people who set New Year resolution don’t follow through.

Here’s the thing, at the beginning of each year, almost everyone has a list of things to accomplish. But as minutes turn into hours, hours into days, and days into months, people start to lose focus. The goal would be abandoned, and the cycle continues.

Year after year, no progress would be made.

That’s not how life is designed. The human species is designed to make progress. But progress is a not an involuntary action, it’s voluntary, and you’ve got to put in the work to experience significant progress in your life.

New Year resolutions are good, but it’s not enough. You need to set and stick to realistic goals — that’s the only way to move from your current state to your desired destination.

Goals form the blueprint for your life. It’s like a road map that lets you take the right route in life.

Here are a couple of ways to set realistic goals, stick to it, and also achieve it.

1. Write it down

Most people make the mistake of not writing down their goals.

Writing down your goals helps you crystallize them into tangible things you can see.

If the goals are not written down, then it means that you don’t know what you want to achieve in the first place.

Others feel that something should be changed. They don’t take the extra step of writing it down to see what needs to be changed.

Furthermore, your goals need to be specific when it’s written down.

“Making more money” is vague — it’s not a goal, but making an extra $1000 is a specific goal.

How much do you want to make? And what steps do you have to take to achieve it?

Do you need a raise? An extra source of income? Or do you have to start monetizing the skills you already have?

A goal that’s not written down cannot be measured, and if it can’t be measured, then you’re less likely to achieve it.

2. Is it attainable?

It takes time to accomplish great things. Therefore, saying that you’d want to lose twenty pounds within the next twenty-four hours is not attainable.

You’ve got to estimate the time it would take to achieve your goals, and also outline the steps you’d have to take to achieve it.

If you want to lose twenty pounds, then how would your exercise routine look like?

3. Do you want to achieve the goals?

If you genuinely want something, you’d find a way to achieve it.

If you’re overweight and you feel like losing some weight, you’d end up not getting it done.

However, if you’ve had enough of overweight and you’re tired of being out of shape, then you’d hit the gym and do what’s required of you.

4. Develop Your Vision Board

Vision board helps you to create the perfect mental picture of what you want to achieve. Vision boards work — so create one.

Get images and write something that clearly shows your goals. Hang it around your home so you can see them regularly.

Setting goals is quite easy, but more importantly, you’ve got to take action — putting in the work required to achieve your goals.

Have you achieved your 2019 goals so far? What routine(s) do you need to change to achieve your goals?