170: Stop Overthinking Long-Term—Focus on This Week

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Feeling stuck or scattered? You don’t need to figure out the whole mountain. You just need a mini hill to climb this week.

In today’s Thrive in 5, I’ll show you how short-term goals create clarity, boost motivation, and get you moving forward again. Because momentum is built not found—and it starts with one small win at a time.

What we cover:

• How small goals light up your brain’s reward system
• How to break down your big vision into a weekly sprint
• Why making your goal visible fuels follow-through
• The magic of celebrating completion (yes—even tiny wins)

🎯 Progress doesn’t need to feel big. It just needs to be yours.

👉 Tag @ExclusivelyCindy on instagram/facebook and share how you’re using this tip—I’d love to connect and hear your story!

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
feeling stuck or scattered.
In this episode, I'm gonna showyou how short-term goals create
clarity, build momentum, andgive you the boost you need to
actually follow through.

Speaker (00:10):
Welcome back to Thrive in Five, where I give you a
quick burst of motivation andproductivity in five minutes or
less.
I'm Cindy, your host, aself-made entrepreneur, busy
mom, and a business coach.
I've built and sold severaldigital businesses ranging from
five to six figure successes.
So when it comes to managingtime and priorities in both life

(00:32):
and work, I get it.
I've been there and I am here tohelp you thrive.
Let's be real.
Long-term goals are great, butwhen your to-do list is longer
than your patients, you need awin that you can actually see.
That's where short-term goalscome in.
Short-term goals act like aflashlight on a dark path.
They show you the next stepsinstead of overwhelming you with

(00:54):
the whole journey.
And when you're feelingscattered, unfocused, or
unmotivated, that next smallwin, it matters.
Here's why it works.
Your brain loves a finish line.
When you complete something evensmall, it triggers a dopamine
release that feel-good chemicalthat boosts your mood and keeps
you going.
So instead of focusing on thegiant mountain in front of you,

(01:17):
create a mini hill to climbfirst.
Here's a couple of examples.
Instead of saying, I want togrow my business this year, say
this week, I will pitch my offerto three new people.
Instead of saying, I wanna gethealthy, try, I will drink 80
ounces of water and take a 15minute walk this week.
Simple, measurable, immediate.

(01:38):
So let's talk about power moves.
Break your big goal into a sevenday sprint.
What can you do this week thatmoves the needle forward?
Write your goal down and make itvisible.
Put it on your mirror, yourplanner, your phone background.
Out of sight equals out offocus.
I want you to celebratecompletion.
Yes, we talk about this a lot,and yes, it's still important,

(02:02):
even the little things.
I want you to celebrate it.
Say it out loud, do a happydance, tell a friend, celebrate
it like it counts because itdoes.
Setting short-term goals isn'tabout lowering the bar.
It's about building consistency,confidence, and momentum.
These tiny wins stack up fast,pull you out of a funk quicker

(02:22):
than any someday dream everwill.
So stop overthinking that finishline and just start crossing
smaller ones to implement thistoday.
Here are your action steps.
Choose a big goal and break itdown into a smaller goal that
you can complete this week.
Write it down and post itsomewhere where you can see it

(02:42):
daily.
When you finish it, celebrateit.
Yes, I am serious about thatcelebration.
Momentum is built, not found.
You don't need a perfect plan.
You need a goal that you canactually hit and remember,
you've got this.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Thanks for tuning into the Thrive in Five podcast.
If you found value in today'sepisode, I'd love for you to
leave a review.
It helps more listeners discoverthe show and don't forget to
subscribe so you never miss adose of productivity,
motivation, and success tips.
And hey, share this episode witha friend that could use a little
extra inspiration.
Until next time, keep thriving.

(03:19):
And remember, you've got this.