As a fierce woman, you’re probably no stranger to working on a meaningful goal or two at any given time. You also know the importance of staying motivated and working hard until you cross the finish line. However, even with a belly full of fire it can take a lot longer to reach them than we’d like. I love accomplishing goals and the quicker I do, the sooner I can stretch myself further by creating new ones. This is where my secret to momentum comes into play.

Let me be clear, I’m not saying the journey towards completing our goals has no value. The twists and turns along the way are always teaching us something and provide even more opportunities for growth. Never discount your journey but be fully aware of how long you’ve been on the same one. Before I let you in on the secret, grab your pen and answer the following questions with complete honesty.

• My goals are…
• I feel my progress towards these goals are at a reasonable pace…
• I’m frustrated with how long I’ve been working on these same goals…
• I’ve quit goals due to the amount of time passed without reaching them…
• I’ve achieved many things and have grown a lot in the last year…

I hope what you wrote down felt good to see on paper and you are proud of your progress. If not, I invite you to challenge yourself and use the following secret to gain momentum:

Protect your path!

If you protect your path, you’ll arrive at the desired destination much faster. Your path includes your actions, behaviors, and the environment in which you live. Without a deliberate effort to protect your path, it might take so long to reach your goals that you never do.

Two Ways to Protect Your Path

1. Keep detours to a minimum! 

It’s going to take a lot longer to realize your dreams if you keep taking detours. Those detours are called your distractions. We all have them and they’ll pull us from our path quickly and easily if we’re not careful. Advances in technology have given us many great things but they’ve also weighed us down in distractions. Just think of how many detours are held in the palm of your hand when you reach for your cell phone or tablet. Be aware of your detours so you can make less of them.

2. Clean up the litter! 

Litter on your path can take many different forms. Sometimes, we act as the litterbugs by engaging in negative self-talk or by repeating behaviors that sabotage our progress. Sometimes, it’s other people who are throwing the litter by being unsupportive and doing things to undermine our efforts. Love yourself too much to be the one throwing the litter and love those around you who are throwing it too. In most cases, you’ll meet people who feel threatened by your growth and positive changes. Enforce your boundaries with love and never take someone else’s trash personally.

I will not tell you protecting your path is easy but I will tell you it is possible.

Practice these two tips and start protecting your path a little more each day. By doing so, you will experience more momentum and find yourself reaching those goals faster.

Hastie is a writer, speaker and creator of CenterStage! Her program teaches women how to step out from behind the curtains of their limiting beliefs and into their power. She believes women need to discover who they really are in order to live a more meaningful life.

The former pro-figure competitor used to be shy and hid under baggy clothes while working out. After witnessing a woman at her gym exercising with the lights off, she wrote 10 Steps to Become a More Confident Woman in the Gym, which you can download for free on her website. Hastie can be found in Pittsburgh, PA asking every new person she meets who has the best pizza in town. She is super organized and loves colored office supplies.

Meet Hastie at www.Hastie.guru, on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or The No Fear Zone Radio Show on WPHT 1210-AM (CBS)