Do you ever feel like your excitement to go for goals dissipates with time? Maybe you’re not sure why you’re going for the goals you’ve set? This is normal and typically happens when you’re disconnected from the reasons why you set those goals.

It’s important to periodically check in with your goals, recognize what you’ve accomplished so far, and keep visualizing the outcome you’d like to attain.

Goals or desired outcomes might change over time. Revisiting what you’ve accomplished helps to inform you of those changes, and any progress will inspire you to keep going. Visualizing the outcome also provides inspiration for continued success.

Check in with yourself and your goals

To stay better connected with goals, start by reviewing them quarterly to confirm they’re still appropriate for you. Gaining clarity on what you want may take some time, so be patient. If you feel that you can easily create goals but sometimes have trouble pursuing them, it could be because the goals you created aren’t what you genuinely want in your heart. Or, they just need to be modified to be more in line with what you want.

For example, I used to make a New Year’s resolution to lose ten pounds. I no longer set that as a goal because I realized I really didn’t care about weighing a certain amount. What I did care about was having energy and feeling fit. So, I refined my goals to reflect those two desires. Now, my health goals are based on my values, and I feel better than ever. An additional benefit is that the weight came off, too!

Get reconnected

There are several ways to confirm that the goals you’ve created are truly meaningful to you, and there are ways to refine them to ensure you experience pleasure and joy while achieving them so you’ll have the energy to keep going.

Here are a few strategies that can help with reconnecting when the goals may seem far away or unattainable.

Define the Purpose

Ask yourself, “What is the purpose behind each goal? Is it a goal I want to pursue or feel like I have to pursue?” If you feel that you “have to” pursue the goal, then get rid of it. If it’s a goal you “want to” pursue, continue to remind yourself of why it is important to you.

Visualize Your Desired Outcomes

If you feel that you haven’t made much progress on your goals, visualize how you want to feel and what you want your life to look like when you have achieved each goal. Use the end result to identify an incremental next step that will move you in the right direction.

Decide on Behaviors & Qualities

Ask yourself, “What behaviors do I need to exhibit or what positive qualities do I need to express to achieve each of my goals?” For inspiration, think about goals you’ve achieved in the past and who you were being to accomplish those goals. Determine if that information guides you to whom you need to be now (at this point in your life) and remind yourself about these qualities.

Use Your Intuition

State out loud each goal you’ve created and check in with your body to notice any sensations. If you feel excited, your goal is probably right on track.

Make a Commitment

Commit to each of your goals for a week or even just one day. If reaching for that goal isn’t fun or doesn’t feel good, consider modifying it.

Sprinkle in Joy

If you’re still unmotivated to take the next step toward your goal, try to make that action step fun. For example, if you don’t like exercising at the gym, bring a friend who energizes you or go for a hike instead.

Ask for Support

Identify people who can support you in achieving your goals and what you need from them. Then, share your goals and needs with those people.

After you feel that your goals really resonate with you, make sure you have the structure and support needed to sustain the energy to achieve your goals. When you take these steps, you’ll start to see tangible results you’ll be excited to keep pursuing!

A version of this post appeared originally on InnerBrillianceCoaching.com.