Day Four: Setting Goals

A great way to keep yourself on track is by setting goals. Having goals is a great way to motivate yourself by keeping yourself aware of what you are working toward. Also, it is a great way to know what you have to do in the short term in order to achieve those goals. However, there is a science to creating goals in order to make it more likely that a person will achieve them.

Be Specific - When establishing a goal, it should be measurable and there should be a deadline.
            
                       Bad example - I want to lose some weight.
      
                       Good example - I want to lose ten pounds of fat in sixty days.

Establishing the specifics not only makes it much easier to set up a program that you can follow but it holds you accountable for the results. You will know with no uncertainty whether or not you achieved your goal. 

Be Realistic - Do not be afraid to challenge yourself but do not make your goals so challenging that there is very little or zero chance at success. Take a look at how much time you have to devote to a goal, where you would be starting from (if you want to run a marathon, are you starting from square one or do you jog pretty regularly?), and what it will take to achieve that goal. One thing that I like to do is create a goal that is moderate in difficulty but include a "reach" goal that is quite challenging. That way, there is not as much disappointment if I do not perform at my best during that time, as long as I put forth enough effort to meet the moderate goal.

Short vs. Long Term - Often times people have goals that are not quick and easy to come by. Goals such as wanting to run a marathon, wanting to lose a significant amount of weight, wanting to see significant strength gains are all goals that are going to take the average person a while to achieve. We all know how daunting it can be approaching a goal that is going to take a month or longer. Personally, I have trouble seeing a couple weeks out.

Short term goals are a great way to guide you to your ultimate goal. Just be sure that your short term goals lead up to your long term goal in an appropriate fashion. Do not start off too fast and be sure you are always working up to the goal rather than regressing or staying stagnant.


Well, there are some basics on setting goals. I would love to address any questions or comments that you may have and I will be coming to you with my goals in tomorrow's post. Thanks for reading!