How to Reach your Goals in 2021: 005 Stop Digging Holes

There’s this saying, “if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”

It basically means, if you don’t like the situation you’re in, stop doing the things that got you there in the first place. 

That goes well with this other quote about insanity:

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”

Often misattributed to albert einstein

Either way, if you want something different, you’re going to have to try something new.

Of course, that’s easier said than done!

When it comes to life, it’s not always obvious which things are helping us and what’s just getting in the way. We may not want to stop the habits we’re used to. Change is hard.

At some point, we want to get out of the hole and get more out of life.

• Maybe we make a New Year’s resolution.
• Maybe we hit a major milestone in our life.
• Maybe we’ve had a major life event.
• Or maybe, we’ve just had enough!

SEOT is an acronym to help us get out of the hole. The S stands for strategies.

(Psst, teachers – check out this 2021 New Year’s Resolution lesson plan!)

SEOT Step to Success #5 is to STOP DIGGING HOLES

A strategy is something we do to get a result.

The thing is, I don’t know what strategy you should be doing to get the goal you’re after. I just know that not everything works for everyone all the time. So, if something isn’t getting you the results you want, it might be time to switch strategies.

If you want more money in your pocket, you have two options:

• make more money or
• spend less money.

I know, that seems like really obvious common sense, so let’s delve a little deeper here and try to think of ways to spend less money:

Maybe you switch to a cash only diet.

• Every month, you take out the cash you need for different expenses and put it into envelopes.
• As the month goes on, you can physically see how much cash you have left to spend.
• If you want to spend more in one envelope, you need to make up for it with cash from a different envelope – or you can’t get that item.
• It’s a trick to help you stop overspending and stick to a budget.

Make conscious choices about when you buy your food

• Or, you could only go grocery shopping when you’re not hungry.
• Chances are, you won’t want to buy (and eat) everything in sight.
• In fact, if you can leave the kid at home, you might end up with less impulse items in your shopping cart.

Cancel automatic subscriptions that you don’t really use.

• We often get sucked in with free trials.
• But, if you don’t really use the service, it’s time to say goodbye or switch to a cheaper plan.
• You can always sign up again if you feel like you can’t live without that service.

Take a moment right now to think about your goals.

• What are you doing to work towards the results you want?
• What are 3 things you could try to do differently that might also help you to achieve your goal?
• (You don’t have to come up with these strategies by yourself. Who or what could coach you and help you discover strategies to achieve your specific goal?)

Try a different strategy and see what happens.

Good luck and don’t forget to check out our Goal Setting Slideshow!