Goal Setting

Why Set Goals?

Many top-level athletes, successful business people and achievers in all fields set goals. Goal setting helps to organise your time and resources so that you can live life to fullest.

Goals are sharp and clearly defined so that you can measure your achievement and progress towards the long-term goal that you might have previously thought of as a long and pointless grind. In setting short-term goals, and achieving them, you will become more confident with your own ability in achieving your bigger picture goals.

Setting your personal goals.

1) Create your “Big Picture” of what you want to do with your life. For example: Your big picture might be to lose weight and get fit so that you can kick the footy or run on the beach with your kids. Now you have your big picture, you need to set large-scale goals you want to meet. For example: you might want to run a marathon or lose 50 kg. My large-scale goals are typed up and are pinned to my mirror and the wall at my desk. This way I get to visualise them every day.

2) Next, these large-scale goals need to be broken down into smaller targets, in what I like to call stepping-stones. Once each one is ticked off, you are one stepping stone closer to your big picture.

3) Finally once you have a plan, put it into action. The sooner you do this, the sooner you will feel confident in your ability to make the impossible, possible.

SMART Goals

The old acronym SMART is a great way of guiding you in setting goals and is very powerful. SMART usually stands for:

• S – Specific
• M – Measurable
• A – Attainable
• R – Realistic
• T – Time

For example, instead of saying “I am going to lose weight”, say “I will be 50 kg lighter by December 31st 2012”. This will only be attainable if a lot of preparation is done before hand, like working out how much you need to lose a week to reach that kg, how much exercise you will do, and having a healthy nutrition plan.

Tips in setting your goals

• State each goal with a positive statement. “I will learn to run in great form” is better than “don’t run like I have a stick up my bum”.
• Be clear and precise. Set end dates, times, amounts so that you can measure your progress and achievements.
• Set priorities if you have lots of goals. Focus on the most important ones to you first. This is so you don’t become too overwhelmed.
• Writing them down makes them real and set in stone. Put them on post it notes around the house so that they are always in your sight.
• Set low-level goals that are achievable so you can move forward
• Aim to be better than the person you were yesterday, by eating cleaner or getting that extra rep in or that extra 10 minutes on your run.
• Be realistic!! many people set goals that are too high, or don’t have enough stepping-stones to meet their big picture.

So why not give it a go. Make sure you have them where you see them everyday such as on the fridge, bathroom mirror or back of the toilet door. Those of you that can tick those stepping-stones off, are on the right track. Keep it up 🙂

Cheers

• Posted in: Positive Mind