Goal Setting
You have been dreaming of losing weight for a long time. Each meal or snack passes and you think, "the next one will be different." Monday rolls around and you start yet another diet but by lunch you
| "There are only 2 choices; make progress or make excuses." - Ellen Mikesell |
are sitting down at your local meat and three with your co-workers debating on which dessert to split. We all aspire to one day be healthier than we are today. This is just a dream. If you think that one day, when the situation is just right, you will wake up able to get what you dream about...You're dreaming. It will never happen.
Dreams are just that, dreams. And they will stay "dreams" unless you consciously decide to transform those dreams into goals. There is a big difference. Goals are measurable, precise, have due dates and most importantly, they are communicated. But even having goals alone will not bring your dreams to reality. There is one critical element that must follow, ACTION!
Goals Defined
There's an expression, "If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there?" While that expression reinforces the need to set goals on where you want to go, too many people misinterpret that expression and think that all they have to do is picture where they want to go and magically, it will all appear someday. Creating a vision of your destination in your mind is only one step. Defining goals is much more precise than that. Here are the four requirements for properly defining your goals:
- Your goal must be objectively measurable. For example, I will be XX amount of body fat. I will wear a size XX. I will complete a 1/2 marathon in XX of time.
- Your goal must have a definitive due date. For example, I will wear a size XX by Dec. 1, 2007.
- Your goal must be attainable. For example, I will lose 10 pounds over the next two months by exercising four times a week and eating on my program of choice 90% of the time. I will journal my food so that I know I am hitting my target 90% of the time.
- Your goal must be communicated. I will tell my friends, family, and co-workers of my goal. I will only allow them to support me because I will communicate my goal enthusiastically, not like it is punishment for gaining weight.
Goals are Objectively Measurable
To say that you "want to look good" is not setting a goal, because that cannot be objectively measured. Stating that you "want to be thin" or "you want to be healthy" are also too arbitrary. What does "thin" mean? How much is enough? Stating that you want to lose 10% of your current body fat and finish a 5K by next spring, is a much more accurate description of what it means to you to be "healthy." Thin can mean a size six, 22% body fat, or fitting into your pre-pregnancy jeans. Make sure that your goals are quantitative and objective. Success in reaching your goal will not be open to interpretation, you either attain the measurement or you don't.
Goals Have a Definitive Due Date
If there is no due date on your goal, it is too easy to procrastinate. Have you ever noticed that the day before you go on vacation you tend to get more done? The reason is that there is a definitive due date. You don't want to worry about any unresolved issues while you are lounging on the beach! Your vacation is the compelling event that has created a hard and fast deadline for completing projects. This compelling event will shift your mind and body into high gear. You will become more focused and work longer hours just to get it completed on time. To achieve your life goals you need to approach them with the same intensity. The only way to do this is by creating a "compelling event," a deadline that must be met.
Goals Must be Attainable
What if I wanted to be a great high jumper and I set my jump height goal at 9 feet. It would not matter how hard I trained, setting my jump height goal at 9 feet would be ridiculous. First of all, I am not a world class high jump athlete today. Second, the world record for high jump is barely over 8 feet. If I pursued the 9 foot height goal starting out on day one, how soon do you think I would become frustrated and abandoned my goal? It wouldn't take long. Your goals should always be set at a challenging level, but still attainable. Set the marker at a spot that is better than your best but yet still within your reach.
Goals Must be Communicated
Most people will agree with the first three requirements of proper goal setting, but some may disagree with this one. Why do goals have to be communicated? Who do they need to be communicated with? Communicating your goals with others will help you make a formal commitment. Verbalizing and publicizing your goals on a blog, supporting friends, and family also does something wonderful for you, it gives you a cheerleading group. There is a simple reason why support groups like A.A. are so successful. You are verbalizing your commitment and enlisting the support of others. Make sure that you have a "home team" cheering for you as you work towards your goals.
While you may not have communicated some of your goals in the past to other people, I guarantee that if you achieved them, you communicated them to the most important person...yourself. Do you know what I find upsetting? The fact that some people set goals and communicate them only to themselves, then without giving it a second thought, they will dismiss the goals they set and let themselves down. This happens quite often when people set a weight loss goal. They communicate it to themselves that they will diet for 6 weeks and lose 10 pounds. Then by the second week they are cheating on the diet and by week 4 they have completely forgotten the commitment they made to themselves. What would you think of a friend that consistently made commitments to meet you for lunch and every time they were either 20-30 minutes late or even worse, a complete "no show?" You would lose respect for this person since you would know that you cannot trust them to keep their commitments. Don't do this to yourself. You should treat yourself with the same respect you would give to others. If you make a commitment to yourself, you need to keep it. Consistently abandoning commitments you have made to yourself can have dramatic effects on a person, including lower self esteem.
The Secret Sauce...ACTION!
Setting goals in work and in life can give you a greater sense of purpose and direction. It lays out the direction and destination for your journey. You may not have all the steps laid out to get you from here to there, but knowing where "here" is and knowing where "there" is can be more than half the journey. Setting the course is one thing, now you need to put the oars in the water and start rowing. Goals, even well defined goals, will become idle dreams if they are not acted upon.
Click here to go to Goal Setting Template.