Last week, I talked about projects and how they help you reach your goals. Projects are great! But today, I want to talk about the three steps to making those projects work for you, with the emphasis on being able to put in the work to accomplish the projects.

The first step is that you have to be willing to make the change. If someone tells you to make a change, you’re not going to want to do it. The decision to change needs to be one you make yourself. Nobody else can make it for you. That only leads to pain resentment, and at best a temporary change. Let the change come from you and you alone.

The second step is that you have to be confident you can make the change. If you don’t believe in yourself, then you won’t try. Or if you do try, you may set yourself up for failure when the change doesn’t work. Belief is the second component of making a change. Changes won’t last without confidence.

The third step is taking action to make a change. Now that you recognize that you want to make a change and that you’re able to make a change, now comes the action plan. You can set small steps for yourself and small projects so that you can reach the goals.

This third step is the one I want to focus on the most. One quote I like to remind myself of is “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” You cannot get different results without putting in the work to achieve those results.

I’ll be the first one to tell you that goal work is HARD. It is not usually easy. You have to set goals of what you want to accomplish, you have to take steps to accomplish those goals, and you have to adjust your plan for when you do or don’t reach the goals.

I also mentioned last week that I have a lot I’m working on now. I’m trying to finish this year off in a good way. I’m also trying to set myself up for success for next year. I have so many projects in place that will set me up with the routines I want to keep for next year.

I talk often about the fact that I’m working on things, but I don’t often talk about what exactly I’m working on. I do this for two reasons. One, keeping my projects and goals vague keeps me humble. If I were to tell people about the projects I’m doing, I would want praise for completing projects. I know myself, and I know that I would get a big head. Two, I have learned to keep my cards close to my chest and work in silence. I’m an open book, and if you ask me directly, I’ll let you know. But in the meantime, I put my nose to the grindstone. Another favorite quote of mine is “Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise.” I’m working to let my successes speak for me.

A big thing for me is visualization. I have notepads and small whiteboards all around my house. If I can’t see something, sometimes I forget it’s there. Writing out my projects and goals makes them more real for me because I keep them in places that are easily visible for me.

I can give you an example of what I mean. I feel like I’m constantly talking about to-do lists, but they help me out so much. I make a to-do list on a weekly basis. Sometimes it’s on a day-by-day basis, it really depends on how things are going for me. In addition to my weekly to-do list though, I also took time out the other day to write out all the projects I want to get done before the end of the year. Since my weekends and days are finally starting to slow down just a little bit, I can start adding in some projects. Some things take a single day, and some will take a decent amount of time. But if I can start working through the projects now, by the time my Christmas break comes, I should have a lot less projects to do. This means that I’ll have more time for relaxing and enjoying time with family and friends.

Please understand. I am not perfect. I have bad days. I have days I struggle to accomplish anything on my to-do list. A lot of that has been learning to give myself grace in those times. Sometimes I have to triage and handle a crisis, but for the most part, I have things in place so that I’m not missing anything super important like imminent deadlines.

I work hard. I like to stay busy, and I’m always trying to make myself better. It is a process for sure, and it has taken me a long time to get to this point. It’s also taken me a lot of help. I recognize that I can’t do everything alone. I’m not great at asking for help, but it’s something I continue to work on.

You put in the work for the changed you make. My belief is that work put in is proportional to the changes made. Bigger changes require more work. If you want to lose 100 lbs of weight, you’re going to need to put in months of dedication and work. But if you’re cleaning out your closet, that may take a week at most depending on how you work and what you do. One of my goals for this year was to consume less plastic products. I recognize that I’m not fixing everything, and I am not living a waste-free life. However, I finished off my makeup remover. In its place, I am using makeup remover cloths that are activated with just water. I have switched to bar shampoo, conditioner, and soap. that are some of my only products in my shower. I was already using sustainable toothpaste, and I bought a new toothbrush that’s a little more sustainable as well. Could I do more? Probably. But the work that I’ve put in has helped me with the goal I want to accomplish.

There’s always more to work on, even if they may be in different areas. I don’t talk about projects or goals usually until they’re complete because I’m putting in the work. The results that are seen are just the tip of the iceberg of all the work that helped achieve that goal. So if I can encourage you, put in the work. You can do this! I can’t help so much with the willingness and the confidence, but I can help with action plans. If you need that help, please reach out. I’m more than happy to share my resources, techniques, and advice I can offer so that you can put in the work for yourself!