Goal Setting
“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that our aim is too low and we make it.” 1. Write out an extensive goal list in forms of affirmations – 3 things affirmations need to be: 1. They must be personal “I will”, “I am”. 2. They must be written in present tense as if you have already completed the goal and you believe you already have. 3. The goals must be positive – “I will lose 2 stones (28 pounds) by my birthday and I will be very happy”
Before I start, what do you think of this quote? Yes? No? I think there is a lot to think about in those few words & that we should aim high. Don't we all talk about challenging ourselves on our blogs???!!!
I think I have used this quote in the past but it popped up over at GirlGetStrong last week & it inspired a post! The GGS post is by a young guy named Craig. The points below were part of what he had to say about 11 steps to creating powerful goals
2. Read your affirmation goal list at least twice a day.
3. Read your goals with faith – Act as if you’ve already completed them and see images of yourself with the goals achieved.
As you read your affirmations, mentally visualize them as already achieved, since the brain cannot tell if the event is real or visualized.
Honestly, I have not been a good goal setter outside the fitness area. Yes, in my fitness & health life, I do/did set out to accomplish certain things and I HAVE! I also do a lot of visualization in the gym & when I work out.
In real life, I definitely have accomplished things but I did not set out certain goals like above to get there. I wanted & thought about them. Some I did & some I did not do. I think that has more to do with that fear of failure that permeates my real life more than my fitness life. I also get caught up in the expectations of other people & myself when I tell other people. I had a lot of probs with trying to meet others expectations when I was younger so that is one thing I have not overcome yet.
I know many of you set goals in your life both personally & professionally. Many of you make image boards. What can you pass on to us, the readers AND WRITER about what has & has not worked for you in terms of goal setting. What do you do now to make sure you go after your goals?
Categories: Challenges, Motivation/Support, Tips, Inspiration
Tags: challenges GirlGetStrong inspiration goals visualization
When I was a young woman, I believed with all of my heart that if one made a clearly defined plan and followed it exactly that anticipated success would be realized. I was extremely regimented and inflexible and a great goal-setter, always working hard through illness and pain, never complaining or asking for help. No one else was as hard on me as I was on myself. And then at 40, I had a near-fatal illness, my husband was transferred to a division in Illinois from our home in New York State, and life in general got in the way of all of my well-defined goals. What do I regret the most? Being such a tight-ass when I was young, not learning flexibility. I missed so many beautiful peripheral opportunities lying outside of the scope of the tunnel vision I had toward my dopey goals. Now, as far as my weight, yes, I have the goal of continually working toward being slimmer, but exactly when I'll get there and what it will look like is a mystery. I can live without the affirmations...I'm getting all of the positive reinforcement I need from reading and participating in these wonderful health/fitness/weight-loss blogs.
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Marsial, thank you so much for commenting & visiting so often. This was a really interesting thought process & I love that you found what was right for you. I need to think thru what you said!
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not sure this will makes as much sense as it does to ME
that may not be "success" as Id hoped or previously defined it, but I never want to wonder WHAT IF ID WORKED A LITTLE LONGER OR HARDER??
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I love the quote! If I don't have goals, nothing really happens.
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I make sure my goals are achievable but also challenging and then I break them down into chunks. Then, I write my goals down in my fitbook and tell someone (not 5000 people) what my goal is, it seems to make a difference.
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Jody..I read this last night and just KNEW I could not answer your question in just a comment. So you inspired my post this AM but the AMAZING part is what I saw in me, while answering your question!
YOU ROCK!
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Jules, it was a teeth day so heading your way as soon as I can!
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Les Brown has been an inspiration for me for several years! Talk about someone who set his goals high and hit!
Thanks for this post, Jody, on the importance of setting goals!
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Love Les Brown! Whenever I think about success stories, his is one of the first to come to mind. From Les Ilearned, "Practice makes improvement. There is no such thing as perfection." Life changer, there.
As to goals, I see it two different ways and I've blogged about both. For long term goals, I follow the adage of the CEO of my former place of biz, who said, "It's better to reach 80% of a stretch objective than to reach 100% of an objective that really didn't accomplish much." Love that.
But for shorter term goals (which can actually be viewed as tasks on the road to the long term goals), I set the bar low enough that I can at least get my leg over it. This method requires more individual goals to be set, but you also get to have more victory parties as you knock them off the list.
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Cammy, I like that shorter term goal thing. I need to be able to set myself up for success or I tend to get down on myself so love your whole comment!
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Plan goals, Do what I plan, Check progress, Adjust accordingly to ensure progress... I've done this at work for years and finally have been doing this in my efforts to get healthy.
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I love setting goals! I know that if I know what I am working towards -- then I know the direction I am heading. My key to success -- is to adjust goals along the way. Just because I set a goal -- doesn't mean I have to do it. I need to tweak it, and feel like it is a "want to" verses a "have to".
I also take the big goal and break it down in to smaller steps to make it manageable.
Great post.
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Jenn, thank you so much for visiting & commenting. I loved this in your comment: Just because I set a goal -- doesn't mean I have to do it. I need to tweak it, and feel like it is a "want to" verses a "have to". I have used that in the past but I need to bring that into my life again!
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Thanks for the shout out! I loved that guest post too!
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Thx Sian!
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