How to Set Goals and Achieve Them!
Most of us here are goal setters. Maybe not all the time or maybe it is something that you are working on but nonetheless you are still setting even small goals. But sometimes goal setting can get frustrating and overwhelming which in turn makes it hard to do and follow through on. You are not alone in this! The problem is not your goals but how you have been told to set them!
I think people struggle with setting realistic goals because they don't seem sexy and exciting. Working out two days a week or KILLING IT AT THE GYM 7 DAYS A WEEK?!? haha And the thing is I do want you to be fired up about your goals and the opportunities ahead of you. But you are way more likely to stick to smaller goals, build your momentum and actually achieve your goals and beyond.
For this post I want to focus on nutrition and fitness. I see people struggle here the most (even myself sometimes!) so I think it is important to address.
For most women it will take about 3 months of consistent exercise and healthy eating to begin to really notice the changes in your body. Now that time can fluctuate of course depending on where you are starting and the daily changes you are making to your lifestyle, so 3 months is an average.
Now 3 months is not 28 days, 30 days, 2 weeks....3 months is 12 weeks, 90 days*. That is a lot longer than a lot of programs guarantee results. Does that mean they are lying? No! But does that more than likely mean that the lifestyle you will need to adopt is more extreme to guarantee those results...probably.
It is time we step out of this cycle. Out of this mindset and let ourselves set goals we can actually stick to, goals that are easy to add into our lifestyle and goals that we can actually achieve within the time we set them!
Look, I have been there. I have gone on the diets, given up all processed food, alcohol, inflammatory foods, sugar...I've tried. And let me tell you most of the time I get frustrated, overwhelmed and just give up. How do I know I do that every time, because in the last week I have eaten ALL of those things! Does this make me a failure? Nope! Does this mean I won't reach my goals? Nope! All this means is I have created a lifestyle that is realistic for me, that still allows me to indulge and still allows me to have a healthy relationship with my mind and body.
THIS IS THE MINDSET WOMEN NEED! This is what freedom and health looks like!
If you are constantly obsessing over every calorie or beating yourself up because you didn't make it to the gym...that is not freedom. That is not the life you have to live to look and feel your best. What you need to decide is what goals do you really want? Do you REALLY want the promised 6 pack abs? Or would you be okay with at least a flatter and tighter tummy? There is a difference in these goals and one is not worse than the other. But one is realistic for an average lifestyle without too much compromise. And maybe the 6 pack abs will come one day but I know a lot of beautiful, confident and fit people who don't have 6 packs.
So...
1. Clearly define what your goal is. Boil it down from the extreme and actually determine what would make you happy.
Once you are actually honest with yourself about what you really want and ignore what everyone and everything out there is telling you to want, you can decide how you need to move forward.
2. Start with SMALL baby steps!
I talk about the Compound Effect in my e-book because it was seriously life changing for me. So often it is easy to feel like you have to do all or nothing. Every day or no days. But The Compound Effect teaches you that people who set small realistic goals that they can actually stick too tend to...drummmm roollllll...actually achieve their goals!!! And the people who jump all in and change multiple habits at once tend to fall of the band wagon and have to start from square one once they have resigned themselves to finally try again. The only thing different that these people are doing is one is deciding to be a little more patient. And that is HARD. I get it, who doesn't want to get bikini ready in 6 weeks?! But after that 6 weeks then what? What do I eat, what do I do? I can't eat like this forever! And that is where the cycle continues to happen.
3. Keep pushing forward even when you get frustrated.
Of course, there are always times you may need to recalibrate but persevere even when you aren't seeing the results yet. Keep going, don't give up. They will come!
4. Be kind to yourself and enjoy the process!
I saw a quote the other week and I loved it! It said "Focus on the results and you'll never see the progress, focus on the progress and you'll see the results." And that is so important. You are making changes, you are improving your life! Focus on the good and how far you have come!
5. Build off your momentum!
Working out 2 days a week will be so easy it almost seems silly! Eating a whole foods, clean diet 2 days a week seems almost laughable but start SMALL. Great that it's easy but try and start small and work your way up to adding a day every few weeks. Slow progress till you have established a rhythm that is getting results while still being realistic.
We don't need to make BIGGER more BOLD goals! Our goals fine! Our goals are BOLD! What we need to do is rethink our process. Rethink our plan and honestly just give ourselves some grace and some patience. We are on a journey to a better and happier self most of our lives because we are always changing. So enjoy it! Learn from your mistakes, challenge yourself and reward yourself!
What are some goals you are working on this year? Have you been thinking in the extreme? What are some ways you are going to dial back, start small and enjoy the process?
xx
Kami
