Ready, Set, Goals. Goal setting for your next challenge.
New challenge? Who dis? As we enter the SweatDreams66 Challenge, it is important to set your goals from the start so you can have a solid measure of success. Simply put, goals enhance your performance in life, work, school, sport, parenting, etc. Goals influence your performance by directing your attention toward relevant tasks and increase resilience in the face of obstacles.
Goal setting, overall, promotes motivation, develops your commitment, gives you a mission, builds habits and routines, and increases your quality of performance because you are driven to succeed..
When setting goals, you first want to establish what you want to accomplish. Some questions to ask yourself are: -What would I like to be able to do that I cannot do now?
-How would this goal make my life or situation better?
-How long have I wanted this goal?
-Have I done anything to achieve it?
-What has kept me from achieving it?
By asking yourself these questions, you identify what you want to achieve, how you might go about achieving it, and what obstacles you can expect along the way. Yes, obstacles. Sh*t happens and life gets in the way sometimes. If you can identify what obstacles you might face ahead of time, you’ll be better prepared when you actually hit those obstacles head on.
Set a date! This lights a fire under your booty and gets you moving. Don’t stop at that end date, add some stepping stone dates along the way. I like to think of goal setting as a set of stairs. At the bottom of the staircase is your starting point; this is where you are in this very moment. At the top of the stairs, is your “by when” date. This is when you want to accomplish your goals, say 66 days from now ;) In between are 3-5 check-in dates. These include your process goals, which basically is your big goal broken into smaller steps: What smaller goals are you going to reach that will get you closer to your bigger goal? For example, if your goal is to run a mile without stopping, your process goals will include something like running 1⁄4 mile without stopping, then half a mile, and so on. Make these specific and achievable. When your goals are written out too broad, you have more wiggle room to slip.
Take inventory on what you do in your day to day. What habits do you currently do on the daily? Do these compliment your goals? If not, what can you change in your daily routine that is going to help accelerate you to your fullest potential?
Write your goals in the present tense. Your brains are crazy cool. If you throw a ball for a dog, chances are he’s going to go fetch it, right? Your brain works in the same way. If you tell yourself you are going to do something, chances are your brain is going to fetch that thought and get after it. By writing your goals out as “I am eating whole, clean foods,” or “I run a mile without stopping,” you are more likely to achieve them because you are making your brain believe that these things are already occurring.
Accountability is magic. This can be done by telling a friend your goals or by writing them down. By telling your friends about your goals, you’ll have someone to remind you of how awesome you are and to push you to be your best. You’ll have someone to call you out when you miss class and encourage you when you feel like you are dragging.
Place it where you face it! Writing down your goals is another type of accountability in goal setting. By writing your goals on your mirror, journal or on a sticky note you see every day, you are constantly being reminded of the goals you set and you will more likely continue to work towards those goals when they are in front of your face every day.
All in all, your only limit is yourself. Get after those goals and don’t let yourself stand in the way of your own successes.