Creating Your Goals & Setting Yourself Up for Success
Naturally with it being January, I thought it a good time to address goals. This post is a bit of a lengthy one…but I really wanted to be sure I gave you the best start to creating your goals!
As we start into the new year, with new beginnings, people are making resolutions with a new-found hope, and a sense of having a “clean slate”. They’ve been analyzing their wants and wishes and how they can improve themselves or some aspect of their life. As we all know, health and fitness goals are typically at the top of many people’s list. Anyone can set a goal, or a “resolution”…but if you seek to make your goal more concrete and attainable, or even more powerful, there are steps you should first consider.
Let’s start off with your “why?”
For me, the root of any goal is identifying my “why?”. Knowing your “why?” will help motivate you and drive you in hard times. It will help keep you focused on the action piece of your goals in both good times, and times of struggle. It will also help you to determine what type of person you want to be. It’s an opportunity to develop and grow a piece of you.
I often reflect on my “why?” as a way to remind myself why my goals are so important to me. It also helps me reflect on the type of person I am striving to be, and consider the behaviors and habits that this type of person exhibits.
So what’s my “why?”? I live this lifestyle primarily for me. To be healthy and strong. I want to be able to age and live my life to the fullest, remaining as healthy and independent throughout my years as I can. I do this to continue to grow, physically, mentally and emotionally. While my focus primarily is for myself (and I feel yours should be as well), I also do this to inspire. To lead in some way. To motivate others and show them they can do anything they put their mind to.
So think about your “why?”. What is it that you want most? …why?
Goals - Write them down!
Okay, so let’s look at your goals that are related to your “why?”.
Writing your goals makes them more concrete. It keeps the wishing and wanting at bay and gives you a visual representation of your focus, your intended finish line. How you write your goals is especially important.
You may have heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals before. If you haven’t, S.M.A.R.T. goals help you create more clarity and ensure your goals are attainable and measurable, so that you can be more successful in reaching them. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that stands Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-specific. Let’s briefly review:
Specific - creating a specific goal creates concreteness. It helps maintain the focus for the end result. Instead of “I want to lose weight”, consider this, “I will lose 10 pounds”. Specificity is important.
Measurable - having a measurable goal allows you to track your progress and determine whether or not you have progressed, or achieved your goal. The example above is already measurable, “I will lose 10 pounds”. Other examples could be, “I will eat a serving of vegetables in at least 2 meals a day” or “I will do 30 minutes of cardio 4 times a week”.
Attainable - if your goal is not attainable, there really is no point in creating it as you will likely feel overwhelmed and potentially give up. You want to create a goal that provides a challenge, but isn’t too lofty that you set yourself up for failure. Sure, your goal should be somewhat challenging, but make sure it’s something you can achieve and is realistic…
Realistic - this is where knowing yourself, and knowing your “why?” comes in handy. If your goal is not realistic for you, your lifestyle, and your abilities, or if you simply don’t have the time to put forth to achieve your goals, you will only set yourself up for failure. You have to be honest with yourself if you really want to create a goal you can reach. So keep it simple and realistic.
Time-Specific - setting a time frame to achieve your goal allows you to track progress. It also helps keep you accountable. Going back to the idea of realistic goals, the timeframe you set should be realistic as well. If you don’t provide a realistic timeframe, you will likely stress yourself out and develop unhealthy behaviors/habits that will work against you. So it’s wise to consider your lifestyle and your responsibilities.
Commit to Action and the Process
“If you commit 100% to the process, you will get results.”
You have likely seen this in several motivational and gym quotes. You see and hear others preaching, “trust the process” all the time…and it’s true. However, not only do you have to trust the process, you have to COMMIT to the process and the ACTION required. Read that again and say it out loud!
Hal Elrod is a motivational coach, author and speaker. If you’ve ever listened to his “Achieve Your Goals” podcast, you’ve heard him address goals and his view on what it takes to achieve your goals. This includes committing to action and the process of attaining a goal, not the results. He suggests removing any emotional attachment to goals and specifically focusing on the action required to achieve the end result. This removes the wishing/wanting and creates more focus, and active progress. Everyone wants a certain result when it comes to setting goals, but it’s the ACTION that will help you realize those goals.
To be successful in reaching your goals, you will need to identify the steps you will take, and the new routines you will incorporate into your daily life. As Tim Grover mentioned in his book “Winning”, routines help manage distractions. They help you take action with certainty and purpose”. You will likely need to adjust your current routines and habits to ensure you are actively engaged, and working on your goals. This is a good time to reflect on your current habits/routines and identify what needs to change. It will also be helpful to go back to your “why?”. Think about that person you want to be. What does that “improvement” or “growth” look like to you? How will you have to revise, or add to, your current habits/routines to ensure you reach your goals?
Basically, you will reach your goals if you commit to the process and the actions required. Sure you can set goals all day long, but it’s the focus on, and the ACTION that will get you there. The consistency, the COMMITMENT…the process.
Develop a Good Support System and Identify Potential Obstacles
Aside from believing in yourself (this is important), having a good support system is an important piece of reaching your goals. This could be family, a coach, friends, or even a group on social media. Having a support system will help keep you accountable, provide positive feedback to keep you going, assist you in managing any obstacles that may arise, and help you realize your goals.
Anticipating obstacles is important to identify when creating your goals. By anticipating potential obstacles, you can also identify how you will navigate them. Thinking about this ahead of time will set you up for success! Examples could be:
Obstacle: Going out to dinner with friends/family to a restaurant.
Solution: Look up the menu of the restaurant online and plan ahead what you will eat. Choose something that will help you stay on track for your goals.
Obstacle: Going on a week-long vacation and being away from your gym.
Solution: Look up local gyms and their hours near where you are staying, or book a hotel with a gym, then plan a schedule of when you will go.
Finally, it’s also important to identify any self-limiting habits/behaviors. Remember, you are making a change, and it could be challenging at times since you are changing your current habits and behaviors, and some that may not serve you well in working toward your new goals. This takes going back to the person you are striving to be. What does that person look like? What habits or behaviors does that person exhibit? Identifying these will help you create a plan on how to tackle those habits/behaviors.
In Closing…
A healthy lifestyle looks different for everyone. I strongly believe you have to do what makes you happy. Whether it be spending time in the gym, or involved in some other activity. Do what motivates you, what drives you. What makes you happy? What are your goals and, what is your “why”?
One last note…it’s important to give yourself some grace in times of change. Be kind to yourself. If something happens and you “fall off the train”, jump right back on that sucker and continue to move forward! Don’t get me wrong, it is important to take a moment to acknowledge any setback, this way you can decide how you will better navigate a similar situation in the future. After that, don’t dwell on the past and keep on truckin’ forward.
If you’ve made it this far, I thank you for sticking it out with me! I hope you have gotten some valuable information on how to set yourself up to reach your goals!
If you are looking for guidance in weight loss, gaining muscle, increasing your energy, have set new goals and want help in reaching those goals, or just looking to live a healthier lifestyle, I want to help you! I will help push you, motivate you and keep you focused on YOUR goals, YOUR “why”. Feel free to reach out to me at any time. Take care, and be well :)