Whether you want to believe in goal setting or not, we all have ‘dreams’ (sound’s corny I know). We all have something that we want, an idea to better ourselves – eating healthier, exercising, learning something because we are passionate or education for a new career path that excites us.
So, Why do we set goals for ourselves?
For most of us, the things we dream of doing can often seem out of reach. You may think that your dreams are only things that other people can achieve. Your dream of losing 20 kilos might seem too hard, or running a marathon seems like it will be too much work. And there is always the issue of time.. Do I have time to try new things? Can I be bothered?
Do you know the thing that makes other people able to achieve the things you dream about? (your probably going to hate us for saying this). Setting goals…
“A goal is a dream with a deadline”
Napoleon Hill
Your dreams don’t even need to be health and fitness related, they can be anything; Paying off a credit card or loan, going on a big holiday or fixing up an old car.. It doesn’t matter what your dream is, if you don’t set goals – you will never get there.
I know what you’re thinking… Why can’t I just say I’m going to do something, Why is it so important to set goals?
When we set goals, we take steps to actualise our dreams
Setting goals is a powerful tool to get you from where you are today, to where you dream you want to be. Having goals centred around achieving your dreams helps to visualise what you want and why you want it. It helps to clear the clutter in your brain and focus on what the dream is and why you want the dream.
Actually taking the time to map out what you want to achieve, setting a timeframe and working through the steps to make it happen is what goal setting is all about.
As an example, let’s say you want to lose 20 kilos. That’s the dream…
WHY do you want to lose weight? Is it for health reasons, has your doctor told you to lose some weight? Is it because you want to be able to run around with your kids, or grandkids and not be restricted by your size? Is there a dress or a suit that you want to fit back into?
Whatever your reason, is your WHY strong enough to keep you consistent for the amount of time it takes to lose 20 kilos?
Do you know HOW you’re going to lose that 20 kilos? Are you going to join a gym and hope for the best? Perhaps you will start a new diet and see how that goes.
Having a clear vision of HOW you will achieve your dream is so important. You can outline the steps you will take to get there or even make a list of possible ways you can reach your dream. By setting goals you are taking steps to make your dream a reality.
Your ‘HOW’ and ‘WHY’ are so important to your success. Your answers are what will keep you in the game, Your answers are what will keep you striving to achieve your dreams… Even on the days where you feel like it’s impossible, you can go back to your goals, back to your HOW and your WHY and have a motivation refresh.
Working through the HOW and WHY steps helps to map out the TIMEFRAME needed to get to your dream.
Don’t rush yourself, sometimes dreams take a while – but don’t sell yourself short either – you’ve committed to the how and why – so make the most of the journey.
I can hear you asking… How do I start?
Once you have your HOW and your WHY you need to map out your journey by setting goals and breaking down each goal into smaller, more manageable ‘milestones’ – To lose that 20 kilos you might break it down into monthly goals. First ask yourself, how many kilos can I lose in 1 month (for sustainable weight loss you should aim for around 1 kilo each week, It’s not guaranteed, but it’s a good target to aim for). If you can lose 4 kilos every month, you should reach your dream of losing 20 kilos in around 5 months.
You have just successfully mapped out your timeline & set ‘milestones’ for yourself to achieve along the way.
Now you can work on the HOW…
If one of your HOW items was joining a gym, map out how many times a week you can commit to going to the gym. Be realistic with yourself, don’t try to overdo it and cram so much into your schedule that you ultimately burnout. That’s not going to achieve anything..
Ask yourself some hard-hitting questions; Do you know what to do at the gym? Do you need a Personal trainer to help you? Do you need a workout program to follow? What is it that you need to be successful at the gym? Having a plan for each of your HOW items will make the journey more manageable and more enjoyable.
Hopefully by now you can see the power behind setting goals for yourself to achieve your dreams.
What’s even more powerful is if you share your goals with others to make it real and help keep you accountable on your journey. What you put out into the universe is what you get back..
If you want to learn more about how to set goals you can check out the “Goal Setting for Success” blog