Usually at the start of every year I post a blog about goal setting and getting the year set up to blast through plateus and storm into the possibility of having everything you’ve ever wanted.
But before you do it : this year I want to add a caveat as sometimes, SOMETIMES setting these goals in health and fitness can actually be detrimental to your mental health!
Think about this for a minute : A lot of the time when people set goals they are basically saying “I wont be happy until I get to this magical point in the future. I wont be happy until X happens” This can be a very dangerous way to think. It promotes thinking in the future and not living in the present moment. The future doesn’t exist. Only the here and now exists.
Sometimes I see these goals get set, and then the person basically resolves to being unhappy until (insert goal here).
It is possible to perfectly happy right here and right now. So what im saying is set your goals but please don’t put off your happiness because of a expectation that YOU have created…
Enjoy the journey of reaching your goals. Don’t get fixated on the destination. You know how it goes.
So I want to leave you with some quotes from my man Timber Hawkeye from Buddhist Bootcamp
“If we give ourselves very little credit for how far we’ve already come, we tend to give others little to no credit for their own efforts in life. When we are impatient with ourselves, how can we possibly be forgiving of others? As long as we continue judging ourselves when we look in the mirror, we’ll be doing the same to everyone else around us.
Wouldn’t it be great to stop, if only for a minute on a regular basis, and reflect on how wonderful everything really is? Pause for a moment and honor the progress you have already made in your life, acknowledge the gifts you have, and appreciate life itself for a few breaths”
Enjoy the journey. Enjoy every step. And realise you can be perfectly happy in the here and the now. Because that is all that exists…. Right here, right now
Goal Setting
This is a powerful exercise in setting goals I send out every year so if you’ve seen it before how did you go last year? And if you haven’t, read on and see if you gain a bit of clarity.
What did you achieve last year?
What do you want to achieve this year?
Do you even know where your year went?
Or did you show up for work on Monday, go home on Friday and all of a sudden it 2015? Sounds like you need some goals. But where do you start? What should you focus on? Here’s a quick exercise to determine where to focus your energy this year.
Next to each of the following put a rating based on
a) what priority you give that area of your life currently and
b) how satisfied you are with that area of your life currently.
Use a scale of 1 – 10, 10 being the highest. And be as honest as possible.
Priority Satisfaction
Physical Health and Fitness _________ _______
Nutrition _________ _______
Emotional / Mental Wellbeing _________ _______
Lifestyle _________ _______
Career _________ _______
Finances _________ _______
Intimate Relationships _________ _______
Family and Friends _________ _______
Fun / Hobbies / Play _________ _______
Personal Growth _________ _______
Life Plan / Purpose _________ _______
Any bells ringing? If you’re not satisfied with an area and it has a low priority, you know what you have to do!
Now do it again with how satisfied you want to be. Then organise the priority accordingly
Priority Satisfaction
Physical Health and Fitness _________ _______
Nutrition _________ _______
Emotional / Mental Wellbeing ________ _______
Lifestyle _________ _______
Career _________ _______
Finances _________ _______
Intimate Relationships _________ _______
Family and Friends _________ _______
Fun / Hobbies / Play _________ _______
Personal Growth _________ _______
Life Plan / Purpose _________ _______
You should now have a list of priorities in order to gain satisfaction in your life.
(Is your health and fitness not as high as you thought it would be? Did something else jump out at you?)
Now write down goals accordingly using the following format. ( I’d suggest starting with 2 or 3 goals only based on priority. When you have reached your goal re do the exercise and re do goals accordingly)
Goal : What is it exactly
When : When do you want to achieve it by exactly
How : How will you know you’ve achieved it?
What : What do you have to do on a daily/weekly basis to achieve this goal.
Goals have to be smart. Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, and be bound by a Timeframe.
Eg
Goal : Learn to Salsa Dance
When : March 31st
How : When I have completed 10 Salsa dance lessons
What : Locate a dance studio near my house.
Book in a time and pay for 10 sessions upfront.
Go to every lesson every week.
Or
Goal : Lose 10kg’s
When : May 30th
How : When I weigh 55kg on the scales at home
What : Eat 5 – 6 small meals a day as suggested by my coach.
Do an hour of either weights or cardio exercise every day.
Don’t drink alcohol until I’ve reached my goal.
Get to bed by 10pm each night
Put your goals somewhere where you will see them every day. Like the fridge or the mirror. You need to be aware of what you want in life. Success doesn’t happen by accident, it always, always happens by design.
Hopefully this gives you an idea as to how and where to start with your goals.
Brad
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