Everybody has goals, dreams, and ambitions. Some of them are complicated and difficult, while others are small and manageable. No matter the size of the goal, there’s one thing that ensures it gets completed—your ability to follow through.

To eventually reach your goals, you must see each task through to the end. If you tell someone you’re going to do something, do it and increase your accountability. By increasing your ability to follow through, you will become a person of your word and boost your chances of reaching your goals. We’ve put this guide together to help you follow through with whatever it is you want to accomplish.

Habits and Routines Increase Follow Through

Creating habits and routines is a great way to ensure that you see every task through to the end. As most of us know, once a habit or routine is set in stone, it’s hard to veer away from it. Put healthy habits in place that will help you reach your goal. You’ll struggle not to complete these tasks as they begin to feel like second nature. 

With that same concept in mind, routines will aid in your ability to follow through. For example, if you have a goal of reading five books a month, set up a routine that will ensure you reach the goal. An effective daily routine might look like this:

• Each morning, read 10 pages, then get ready. 
• In the afternoon, read as much as possible during lunch. 
• Read as much as possible while preparing and eating dinner. 
• Before going to sleep, put your phone away and read 20-30 pages.

At the end of every day, you’ll have read 30-50 pages at least! This means you could read a 350-page book in just a week. And if you’ve got more time to set aside for reading on the weekends, you could accomplish even more than that and easily reach your five-book-per-month goal.

You Have to Really Want It

Here’s the simple truth: If you don’t want it, then you won’t have the grit to go get it. You won’t follow through, because the desire isn’t there. How do you know you really want it? You think about it all day every day. You talk about it with the people you trust. You dream about it. You keep coming up with different ways to achieve or acquire it. Whatever it is, you know that you won’t let anything stop you from getting it. In fact, you get very passionate about it to the point where you have to contain your excitement. That’s how you know you really want it.

Now, you must determine whether your desire outweighs the negative possible outcomes. And does your goal also outweigh the sacrifices you’ll have to make to achieve it? If so, then all that’s left to do is go put in the work!

Follow Through and Get to Work

To start, don’t be afraid of failure. Failure leads to progress if you’re willing to continue trying. If someone sees you fail, who cares? At the end of the day, you tried your best and your best will eventually lead you to success. Let others’ judgments and perceptions of you fade into the background. They don’t matter.

Another important thing to be aware of is this: Discomfort is inevitable. You will encounter uncomfortable situations, but you must work through them to grow. Someday you’ll be able to navigate those situations in a way that makes them more bearable—but for now, you’ll have to get past the discomfort. 

Decide in advance what you’re going to accomplish. If you don’t have a plan, you won’t know where to start. You’ve already established your big goal, but now, break it down into smaller more accessible goals. Being able to see your progress through achieving small goals that lead to your main goal will aid in your follow through.

No matter how you feel, put in the time and effort. If you do lose motivation or aren’t sure which direction to go, check out these “11 Proven Strategies for When You’re Feeling Stuck.”

Your Dreams Need You to Follow Through

One thing we know for sure is, your dreams can’t be brought into reality without following through. So do whatever it takes to become accountable and complete the goals that you set. For some extra help, consult our blog “Success Demands Discipline.”