DON'T LET ANYTHING STOP YOU

Two powerful words that I continue to hear among successful people is “goal setting.” Successful people start with short-term goals that eventually lead to long-term goals and results. Long-term goals can literally change your life. Think about how many lives have been saved or how many millions of dollars have been made through the accomplishment of long-term goals. Here is a personal example of goal setting and how it can be applied to your fitness goals for 2012. 

I set a semi long-term goal of being able to jump rope for 30 minutes in 5-minute intervals for six sets. The first day I struggled through one set of 5 minutes, but that was my short-term goal, so I felt good about it. By the fourth day, 5 minutes was getting easier and I was pushing for two sets for a total of 10 minutes.

My short-term goal was to increase my jumping in 5-minute increments every few days, while my long-term goal was to jump rope for 30 minutes within three weeks. Within the first 18 days I had accomplished my goal of jumping rope for 30 minutes. I must admit that on the first day when I was toiling to jump for only 5 minutes, I would have never believed that I could do 30 minutes in less than three weeks. I’m sure this feat would be considered insignificant to the likes of a pro boxer, but to me it was a major accomplishment that gave me a great feeling of success. 

Short-term goals should be very simple and something that you can accomplish quickly. They serve as motivational stepping stones towards accomplishing your long-term goals. Just as every journey is completed with a series of steps, every long-term goal is completed with a series of short-term goals.

Let’s start with a short-term goal right now: something simple that you can begin today, like “I Will Ride My Bike for 30 Minutes Tonight.” Now write it down and begin giving yourself constant mental memos of your commitment. You’ll be surprised at how powerful this can be. 

You need to apply pressure to yourself in order to accomplish these goals. What good are goals if you do not have the motivation to put them into action? Write your goals down! By doing this, you are programming yourself to accomplish that goal. 

Goal setting can also be very subliminal, especially if you constantly reinforce your goals by repeating them to yourself throughout the day. I call this “Mental Memos.”

“Mental Memos” can be a very powerful tool in making sure you accomplish your goals. Tell yourself that you can’t wait to get to the gym and what a relief it will be to get out of the office and get in a great workout. If your long-term goal is to lose 40 pounds and define your body, then you must constantly remind yourself that each rep, each set, each workout, each day gets you closer to accomplishing your long-term goal. By the end of the day you don’t even need to think about it, you just do it, because you’ve been thinking about doing it all day. 

Remember, short-term goals can be very short and simple. They can be set on a daily or weekly basis. Your short-term weight loss goal could be to lose 3 pounds the first week. Make it happen! Then do it again next week! These short-term goals will challenge you to make sure that you are focused on accomplishing your long-term goals daily. Set your diet and fitness goals today and don’t let anything stop you from accomplishing these goals. MS&F