It is an empowering feeling to realize that you are in control of your own happiness. In every moment, we have the ability to change our lives for the better, work towards success and live life to the fullest. But in order to do so, we’ll likely have to achieve some big goals.

Setting lofty goals and dreaming big feels incredibly inspiring, but actually getting started often leaves us feeling overwhelmed and uncertain.

Utilizing a strategy to achieve your goals is the key to success.

These simple actions are a great starting place if you are hoping to achieve your goals this year. Setting yourself up for success is as easy as working through a few simple steps to ensure you remain focused and motivated throughout the process.

Try these nine simple actions to help achieve your goals and make your dreams a reality!

9 Simple Actions to Take to Achieve Your Goals

Write your goals down.

It’s much harder to hold yourself accountable when there is no proof that you have set a goal. When progress starts to slow, it’ll be tempting to give up and pretend you never started to begin with.

Achieving any goal requires commitment and dedication. The first action you need to take to achieve your goals is to commit to them by writing them down.

Things always feel more official when they are written down, in something that is permanent and kept out in plain sight. Write each and every goal down and keep them out for as long as it takes to accomplish them.

Break your goals down.

Setting lofty goals and dreaming big can lead to many positive changes, but that doesn’t mean they happen all at once. In order to achieve your goals, you’re going to need to break them down into smaller, manageable steps.

Take that big goal you’ve set and work your way backwards, breaking down individual tasks that will need to be accomplished in order to get there.

Some of these tasks might involve just a few minutes of your time, while others may take a few days to accomplish.

No matter how you break it down, remember that a key action to achieving any goal is to break it down into small, micro-tasks.

Overcome excuses.

Some of the biggest obstacles just about everyone faces when working towards achieving their goals are excuses.

Sometimes, goals can feel so big and out of reach that we continue to put off getting started and come up with excuses to justify our delay.

Making excuses is always detrimental towards your progress. If you are committed to achieving your goals, accept the fact that you are not always going to feel motivated and energetic. There will be days when making progress feels unnecessary, and you are tempted in many ways to put it off.

Persevere through those low moments by reminding yourself of how great it will feel when you finally achieve your goal. The ability to overcome excuses is often what stands between those who fail and those who succeed.

Make the most of your time.

Beginning the journey to accomplish a goal, no matter how large or small, requires time. Committing to achieving various goals has the power to completely change your life for the better – but not without a good chuck of time spent.

Regardless of the type of goal you are looking to achieve, know that it’s going to require work, time and effort on your part. It will be impossible to achieve any goal without dedicating a certain amount of time towards it each week.

Make the most of your time each day by minimizing mindless activities, such as watching television, surfing the web or scrolling through your phone. Treat yourself to some well-deserved relaxation each week, but don’t waste away the nights or weekends lounging around on the couch.

If your time is particularly limited, create new chunks of time by starting your day earlier or swapping out 20 minutes of TV time with productive time spent working towards goals each night.

Make your goals measurable.

Knowing where to begin is challenging enough when faced with a lofty goal, but setting a goal that is not measurable will make it impossible to know when it’s actually been accomplished.

Another key action to take in order to achieve your goals is to make sure they are measurable. How will you know when you have accomplished them?

Creating a goal to “get healthier” may come from a place of positive intentions – but how will you know when you have actually “become healthier”? Adjust these types of goals to become measurable by setting a quantity or specific outcome.

For example, more specific goals such as losing 20 pounds, running a mile without stopping, or cutting out sugar will be much more motivating, as you will be able to log your progress and track the moment you finally achieve your goal.

Evaluate your progress.

While the act of goal setting is something that can be accomplished in just a few minutes, actually working towards these goals takes time.

Throughout your journey, be sure to regularly evaluate your progress. What steps have you taken to achieve your goal? How much closer are you to accomplishing your goal now than you were a week ago?

You’re bound to encounter a struggle or plateau in progress as you work towards accomplishing your goals. During these times, it’s important to evaluate the progress that’s been made, the strategies you’ve used, and what is not working.

Regular check-ins and evaluations provide us with the opportunity to make changes for the better.

Find internal motivation.

Although setting a goal that will benefit others is certainly a worthy cause, if this goal does not benefit you in some way (whether spiritually, physically or emotionally), it will be very challenging to stay motivated down the road.

Make sure that you are personally motivated to achieve your goals. Throughout the journey, there will be many moments when you are the only one who can keep yourself motivated and accountable.

Setting meaningful goals is an important action that will propel you towards success. If your goals are not meaningful in some way, it will be very challenging to stay motivated when the journey gets tough.

You are ultimately responsible for your own success. It is up to you to hold yourself accountable and find ways to stay motivated as you work towards achieving your goals.

Start today.

It’s tempting to write all of your goals and dreams down, set them up on your desk, and then walk away. But no matter how accomplished you feel by finalizing your goals, one of the most important actions to take is to do something right away to start working towards achieving them.

Decide on the very first step you will need to take to achieve your goals, and complete it today.

Failing to get started right away is one of the most common ways to set yourself up for excuses and procrastination down the road.

Beat procrastination and get a head start on your progress by taking one step towards accomplishing your goals today.

Make it rewarding.

Achieving any goal is going to feel powerful and rewarding, but it’s important that the process of getting there does as well.

Make sure to reward yourself along the way by celebrating small accomplishments and progress that you have made.

Keep track of where you started and regularly celebrate just how far you have come.

These 9 simple actions all require very little time, but can have a powerful impact on your success. If you’re hoping to achieve your goals this year, these strategies will help set you up for life-changing success.

Achieving your goals doesn’t have to feel impossible. No matter how big your dreams or aspirations may be, remember that you are in control of your life and have the power to change it at any time.

It’s amazing how manageable even the biggest of goals can feel when broken down into simple steps. Take the time to work through these action steps today to finally achieve those goals.

More tips to achieve your goals:

• The Biggest Obstacle Keeping You from Success
• Printable Goal Setting Planner & Tracking Template
• 3 Genius Strategies to Accomplish Your Fitness Goals