Let's Get Practical... Practical.

Welcome back! I hope you were able to read May’s article and catch the general theme of what I believe May represented this year, which was not only a change of seasons, but a change of physical, emotional and mental habits; and a revival of your resolutions that may have fizzled out earlier on this year. And if you didn’t read the May article, that’s okay - it is still not too late to sit down and take some time to evaluate previous habits, practices, and goals that haven’t been successful for you this year. If you are someone who is not great at taking action, or has started a project, but hasn’t seen it to completion, then this article is for you!

This month I want to encourage you to push past your pain, fear, and/or procrastination that’s been keeping you stuck, so you can get back on course and cross the finish line. As July gets underway, I want to encourage you to TAKE ACTION NOW with some practical steps. Having successfully been admitted into and completed medical school, and worked as a doctor, I can tell you what are key tools to practically starting larger tasks, and implementing a new behaviour (while disposing of an old one), followed by staying the course of a long, exhausting dream.

Whether the new goal is physical, emotional, financial… all goals must be approached in a similar manner.

1. First off, show up! Because that’s how successful people become successful… they always show up! If you withhold submitting an application to a more challenging job out of fear, you obviously won’t be receiving a call for the interview. And if you don’t show up for the interview, obviously someone else will be receiving the job offer. You have to at the very least, show up! (And that is more than the majority of people out there. I can honestly say I have received opportunities in the past, merely because I was one of a few people who applied or showed an interest).

2. Secondly, RIGHT NOW (not later)… WRITE DOWN the goals you want to achieve! It’s been proven that people who write down their goals are more likely to succeed in accomplishing them. When you physically write down your goals or ideas, you are more likely to remember it, because your brain has been forced to process two different forms of sensory information (tactile and visual); you’re processing the ‘same’ piece of information, twice, and thus, helping solidify that knowledge! According to Forbes, “Vividly describing your goals in written form is strongly associated with goal success, and people who very vividly describe or picture their goals are anywhere from 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to successfully accomplish their goals”. More specifically, when you write down your goals, separate them into:

• Categories (ie. 2 columns), for example: Long-term vs. Short-term. Below each column, jot down bullet-point goals that you can easily cross off, as you complete them.

• Alternatively, divide your goals into ‘Personal’ vs. ‘Professional’ columns, and hierarchically from MOST to LEAST important going down the list. That way you appropriately emphasize where your time, energy, and focus is directed, and you won’t feel so disheartened if you don’t get to the lower items on the list.

• If you are a visual learner like myself, use a large wall calendar to assist your memory, to make sure you don’t miss completing a long-term goal/deadline (ie. >1 month away).

• Be realistic about the length of the list of goals you want to improve in your life over the next 6 months. If your goal is a physical fitness/weight-related goal, you need to be realistic about the time required to achieve such goals. If you are undertaking large weight-loss, not only is it unhealthy to lose weight too rapidly, but your brain requires time to adapt to these changes, to ensure that it becomes a permanent change. (Practically speaking - if your list is too long, you will get discouraged right from the start because you aren’t ticking off all your goals early on, and this could lead you to quit prematurely out of pure discouragement). So set yourself up for success and commit only to 1 or 2 goals that you want to achieve within the next 6 months.

3. Don’t undertake multiple MAJOR changes all at once. I normally try and tackle a ‘personal goal’ alongside a ‘professional’ one, as my personal goals are generally (i) more fun and (ii) an outlet that I will likely achieve with greater ease than a professional one. For instance, one of my personal goals last year was to start road-biking. For several months, I committed to saving enough money to purchase my first, baby blue, Trek road-bike. To the contrary, professional goals are often more mentally demanding and time-consuming (like meeting every requirement for a medical school application, such as, ensuring you’ve completed the MCAT examination, chasing down references that need to be submitted by a deadline, preparing for the interviews… the list goes on). Recently, it has been preparing for Anaesthetic Registrar position interviews, which take time preparing for, amidst a hospital work schedule.

4. Set a deadline. We often use as little or great amount of time available to us. We are also creatures motivated by fear of failure. For example, if exercise/getting back into shape is your current goal, sign up for that upcoming 5k/10k/21k race. Sign up, and stop dwelling on the ‘idea’ any longer. Once you’ve committed to it, I guarantee you will be more motivated to start training for it (ultimately, so you can finish the race, and then share your success with others) - even if it’s solely out of fear of losing your money that you just invested! Don’t continue procrastinating, and remaining stuck at a stage in achieving your dreams. By setting deadlines for the goal(s) you are trying to achieve, you will start moving in steps towards it!

5. Be held accountable. Tell people about your idea. The more family members or trusted friends you tell about your idea, the more likely you will see it through to completion, because you are now accountable to yourself AND those you’ve told. It’s not motivation by fear, but motivation by accountability. According to new research by Howard Klein, a professor of management and human resources at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, “You want to be dedicated and unwilling to give up on your goal, which is more likely when you share that goal with someone you look up to.” More specifically, Klein mentions the person should be someone whose opinions you respect or of “higher status”.

6. Stay focused and believe in yourself and your purpose! For the most part, do not listen to the chatter that is happening around you. Many people who are unhappy in their own lives like to take out their resentment on people completely unrelated to their own circumstances. Don’t get caught up in what other people are saying - it will drain your energy, emotional reserves, and time, dissecting and comparing your methods to others. And quite frankly, even if what they are saying holds some truth, you may be correct as well. So stop wasting your energy, and start believing in your purpose and what you are going to do! Only you know down to your core what you have been called to do in this life, and only you know how you truly want your idea to reach people. So when you experience failure or discouragement at a certain stage of this journey, you need to believe that it won’t stop you from picking yourself up, pressing on, and continuing the journey.

Whatever your new (or old) goals are that you’re wanting to accomplish this year, I strongly encourage you to write them down, on physical paper! Keep the list short! Tell someone about these goals, ideally someone you respect, so that you will be more likely to succeed in your stated goals. Ensure that you have a balance of big goals, as well as personal/fun goals - the fun goals will boost your confidence when you complete them, and make you more likely to stay motivated with the bigger goals that require resilience.

I have had to repeatedly trouble-shoot and practice many of these steps in my own life - some more than others (ie. writing down the steps towards my goals). And trust me when I say, you can have whatever your heart desires. But it takes more than just having a ‘great’ idea and desire. You need to show up. Be smart. Write out the steps needed to get there, and then be relentless in pursuing your goals and dreams.

And remember, you can do this!

-Dr. Kristyn Bell