Yayyyy Monday! It’s a new week with new challenges, and maybe even some new GOALS! How many of you have ever experienced this scenario? It is Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, and you say to yourself…..
“I will start my new path to fitness this Monday!” Or…
“This Monday is my day to start my new goals: I am going eating totally clean, I am going to go to the gym, and I am going to lose weight”
The week kicks off and you are Gung Ho charging forward with your new “GOALS”. However, about half through the week you notice that your enthusiasm and interest starts to taper. It could be that you got very busy at work, at home, or with the family. It could be that you got tired from getting up early to go to the gym and you really wanted extra sleep (gotta LOVE the snooze button). It could be that the food that you prepped for yourself no longer sounds good and you are talking yourself out of eating it while turning back to your “normal” unclean eating patterns. Whatever has happened you have now turned your back on your supposed “goals” and by Friday you are right back where you started…. ready to set the same “empty goals” for the following Monday. Yes, that is right….EMPTY GOALS! 95% of the time when I ask someone what their goals are I get the following types of answers:
“I want to lose weight”
“I want to feel better in my clothes”
“I want to get stronger”
To these statements I say…….NOT GOOD ENOUGH! While these are all ok answers, on the grand scale of setting goals, they are only the beginning. In response to all of the statements above I ask two questions….First, “You say you want to or you will?” Second,”How and when will you know IF you have achieved this?” The answers I get to both of my questions usually sound something like this……”uhhhhhhhhhhh, I’m not sure.” Again I say……NOT GOOD ENOUGH! By not defining our goals appropriately and not being sure that you WILL achieve them, we run the risk of making them too general, losing the motivation to finish them, and never really knowing what they were in the first place. By clearly defining the specifics of a goal, we can help ourselves stay focused and on track. Thus we increase the chances of achieving exactly what we want…. when we want.
So what makes a well defined goal? All you have to do is remember one word….”S.M.A.R.T.”! When you set out to WRITE DOWN (Yes, you should absolutely do this) your goals they should contain the following building blocks:
· S - They should be SPECIFIC.
Make them detailed and unambiguous so that you know exactly what you are trying to achieve.
· M – They should be MEASURABLE.
There needs to be a means in which you can measure progress and know that you have achieved your goal.
· A – They should be ATTAINABLE.
A goal needs to be something that you know that you can achieve. You definitely don’t want it to be too easy, but you also don’t want it to be out of your reach.
· R – Goals need to be REALISTIC.
Make sure that you give yourself enough time to achieve the goal and that it suits your interests, needs, and abilities.
· T – Make sure a goal is bound by TIME.
Set deadlines & timelines for goals to help keep you on track & focused towards the finish line.
Now, when we revisit the above our goals and make them "S.M.A.R.T." they start to look a little bit different:
“I want to lose weight” becomes:
“I will lose 10 pounds in 3 months by my birthday on December 31st, 2011.”
“I want to feel better in my clothes” becomes:
“I will drop 2 dress sizes in 8 weeks before my wedding on April 4th, 2012”
“I want to get stronger” becomes:
“I will be able to do 50 push-ups without rest by February 28th, 2012, after training for 8 weeks”
See the difference???? Now….here is your homework ;) Review the latest goals you have set and see if you can plug them into this formula. (RE)WRITE THEM down if you have not already done so and post them somewhere so you can be easily and constantly reminded of them. When you start to lose your drive and focus, take a look at them to remind yourself of where you are going, what you want, and why you want to get there. Then make no excuses and take the next step closer to GET IT DONE!
Have a great Monday and a great week!!!
Thanks for defining what a goal is meant to be! I always wrote mine down just like your first set. Now, I will rewrite them and strive to achieve them!! Thanks Tab! You're the best!! That is why you are the trainer!!! : )
ReplyDeleteWow that is smart. Time to start rewriting and keeping a journal. Thanks for the great advice. I am so happy you joined the blogging world.
ReplyDeleteWow Tabitha! I think you done-just changed my perspective! I can't wait to get home and RE-write my goals! Thanks so much!!!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the previous comments. I've definitely set plenty of goals where, when it came down to it, I had no idea what the goal really was in the first place. Sometimes that meant I didn't know when I had achieved it, and usually it meant I gave up before I realized how much further I had to go.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting that into a different perspective! :)
You hit the nail on the head! This is me to a tee! Time to REset my goals the right way! Thanks!
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