This is met with a variety of results. Some people aim high, some aim lower, some ignore me all together (Ha!), and some seem to get a bit down about goals.
What is it about goal setting that makes people feel prickly? Is it stepping out of their comfort zone? Is it realizing that they don't HAVE goals? Or is it deeper than that?
Sometimes I get upset with goals because it reminds me of all the past goals I missed. I suddenly remember that time I set a goal to lose 5lbs and gained 10. Or the time I decided to increase my fitness level and didn't actually work for it. That's when I waffle on current goals...when my brain starts to say to me
What if you fail?
You know what? Your brain (and mine) needs to shut up.
Set a goal that is reasonable. If you KNOW that you can only lose 2lbs this month THEN SET THAT GOAL. Don't say to yourself, "Well, I don't have much to lose and 2lbs would be a good goal...but I'm going to push for 10 instead." At the end of the month when you've lost 3lbs you won't be happy that you surpassed that original 2; you'll be depressed that it wasn't the 10.
Don't worry about other people's goals. Always remember this: Your "before" is someone's "after" and your "after" is someone's "before." If you're carrying around an extra 20lbs don't get discouraged by the person only carrying around an extra 10lbs...because somewhere out there someone carrying around an extra 50lbs is seeing your "before" and WANTING TO LOOK LIKE YOU.
Set short term goals. It's fine to say "I want to lose 50lbs this year" but don't leave it at that. Break it down. How many pounds is that a week? There are 52 weeks in a year so to lose 50lbs in a year you need to lose about 1lb a week...or 4lbs a month. 4lbs is a lot easier to see in the future than 50lbs.
Be mindful of phrasing. Someone once set a "goal" on KF to "not get any fatter." That's a fine goal IF you phrase it in a positive way. A better way to phrase that goal would be to "maintain current weight."
So I want you to head over to Kas Fitness and share your goals with us. We'll be checking back at the end of the month to see what you accomplished! Go get it!
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I am the ultimate goal setter, but I'm the kind who sets these outrageous goals that will never be accomplished in the current season of my life. And what's worse I tend to give up too easily. I like what you said about breaking your big goals down into more manageable ones. That does help me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my site.
Blessings to you!
setting goals is so important to helping you accomplsh what you want
ReplyDeleteI made a goal of losing 45 lbs & reached it
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