Goal Setting 101; First Step to Fit Life Success

If you are like most people, you have set some goals before. The problem is that you probably didn’t set them as well as you could have to set yourself up for success.

The first key to a goal being great is making sure that it means something to you. It has to motivate you, and there needs to be some internal or intrinsic motivation behind this goal to ensure that when things get tough, you stick to the plan.

There are lots of reasons to set a weight loss goal, and I am not here to tell you what your reasons need to be to ensure your success.

It might be that you are incredibly insecure or unhappy with how you look, it might be that you are worried your significant other doesn’t find you attractive anymore, or you could just want to make that ex-significant other jealous at an upcoming event.

There is power in a reason when setting a goal. Make your reason big enough, and you will be diligent in your actions and success WILL HAPPEN.

If it just isn’t a great time for you to be focused on your own transformation, that is still OK. Just be honest with yourself and know what kind of results to expect. The results are an outcome of your actions.

If you need a bit of help digging into your goals, let us know, and we will make sure to help you out.

I highly suggest using a 3x5 index card to write your goal down and keep it with you. Put it in your purse or wallet, hang it on the bathroom mirror, put it on the fridge or even on the dash of your car. Keep it in front of you and make sure you are reading it a few times per day.

Top of mind awareness helps you keep your willpower high and success more likely. This will be important in those times where your willpower might be weak or you are faced with making a tough choice or two.

That being said, it is OK to enjoy life as well! You don’t have to be in a constant state of avoidance. Learn to enjoy social gatherings, time with friends, business lunches, and all these tough situations with your newfound motivation (because of your powerful goal) and your new secret weapons to success—your habits.

How to Set Your Goals

1.         Make it specific! Use real numbers or sizes to give you a specific target.
2.          Make it measurable! You must have a way to quantify your progress and know when you have reached your goal. 
3.          Make it action-oriented! Make sure when you write out your goal it is a positive goal that is based on actions that you can take to reach it. 
4.         Make it reasonable! This sounds silly because I want you to shoot for the stars, but you also have to set yourself up for success. You may not be able to reach your ultimate look or lose 50lbs in a few weeks, but you can get a good jump start on it. 
5.         Make it time-based! You have to set some deadlines on your goal. This is why we run transformation programs; your deadline is set for you. 

When you write out your goal, here are some examples:

Poorly written goal:

I want to lose some weight.

Well-written goal:

I will weigh 160lbs (20lbs less than I do now) in 6 weeks.

Amazingly written goal:

I will weigh 160lbs in 6 weeks by improving my nutrition habits, getting more sleep, and exercising 3 times per week.

Feel free to add in emotions to your goal such as “I will feel amazing when I weigh 160lbs…” as it adds some positivity to your goal when you read it.

The keys here are you are projecting that the goal will happen (I will vs I want to), you are being specific (the exact weight), you are being positive (list the weight you will be vs the weight you will lose), and you have actions to help you reach the goal (3 times per week exercise).

Remember, setting great goals is a huge part of ensuring your success.

Go ahead and write out your goal. If you need help, ask a coach to give some assistance.

If you run into troubles, try starting with a goal and then asking yourself “Why?” five times to keep digging to get the real answer to your “What is my goal?” question.