Goal Setting
Hey guys,
It's the start of a new year and like every year we are all busy setting goals and making resolutions. I've written this post about goal setting and how to structure your goals to give you the greatest chance of success!
Setting goals is a seemingly obvious thing to do. We all do it but how often do we say we are going to do something but fail to follow through? Or maybe we try for a couple of weeks and then give up? This article will show you or perhaps remind you on how to set a goal which will give you the greatest possible chance of achieving it!
When setting goals I find the best way is to use the SMART method (I didn't make this up but I do use it). This stands for Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Time related.
Specific – This is incredibly crucial. By specifying exactly what it is you want to achieve you are going to be able to focus in on that objective much razor like precision. Eg: instead of saying I want to lose weight your goal could be to lose 5 kg’s. This number is vitally important in enabling you to see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Measureable – Sounds pretty simple right? If something is not measureable it is not manageable. If you want to lose weight measure yourself! Get on the scales or better yet get somebody to give you a full body composition measure so you can track body fat levels. If you are unable to measure your results it becomes very hard to track your progress in relation to your goal. This is going to effect your motivation enormously.
Achievable - If you set a goal that is so far out of your reach it is going to be very hard to motivate yourself into action. Set a goal that is achievable and you will find it much easier to set yourself into action to make it become reality!
Realistic – This does not mean easy. You want to set a goal that is challenging but within the realms of possibility. If I say I want to put on 10 kg’s of muscle in the next week there is no way I’m going to accomplish it but if I say I want to put on 1kg of muscle over the next fortnight well now I have a realistic goal. Once I achieve it then I can set a new one. This will help with your ongoing motivation which is incredibly important to ensure you stay on track in the bigger picture.
Time related – Put a time frame on it! If I had a dollar for every person who told me they were going to lose 20kg’s I’d be living the life of a king right now! Unfortunately very few of these people ever achieve this goal and more than likely they give up after a few weeks or so. Why? For all the reasons above and in particular this one. They didn’t put a time frame on their goal! So inevitably they put it off. Then they get busy at work so they put it off again. Before you know it 2 or 3 years have gone by and guess what? They still haven’t achieved their goal.
So there you have it. I know it sounds simple but sometimes simple is all we need. Keep your goals clear, follow the SMART principle and optimize your chances of success!
Dedicated to your health and success,
Jacob McLuskie
