Image via Carlos Newsome, Flickr CC
I'd stop eating junk food if I had the willpower. I'd exercise more if I had the motivation. I don't know how to make a better plan. If any of these thoughts have crossed your mind, I hope I can open a new way of thinking for you. Accomplishing your goals stems from motivation: motivation to make a plan followed by the willpower to commit to it, then, the drive to keep going. How do you start?
It has been said: if you put your desire out into the universe, you'll get it. You have to see it, mentally visualize it, and work toward it daily. Some people opt to create vision boards to do this: cutting up magazines and placing items on a board to visually reflect what they want. In all honesty, though, who really has time for that? It’s time that you could use in working toward your goal. Since vision boards aren't always practical, I use a dry-erase board instead as a place where I can write down my goals and see them every day.
Whether your goal is to lose 25 pounds, run a race or become a martial artist, here are some helpful tips to get you where you really want to be.
1) Specify your goal; write down exactly what you want.
2) Don't post your goal on social media. Most people feel gratification and even successful from the positive support, likes and comments, but that may also trick you mentally. People might feel as good as if they’ve already accomplished their goal and, thereby, make it easier to not complete their mission due to the already gained digital recognition.
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3) Map out your steps. Take doing a pull-up for example. If you've never done a pull-up from a dead hang before, there's a fat chance you’re going to be able to do one without some training. Mapping your steps would first focus on certain workouts spaced out in a week to train your arms, back, and core. This includes using dumbbells to build arm, back and core strength. Then, you could use an assisted pull-up machine or a giant rubber band to help take weight off your lift. You could also ask a buddy to hold your legs as you lift yourself up. Other steps include doing more cardio to lose body fat mass to lighten the load or eating cleaner so that your body can become leaner, healthier. All these small components put together will help you to reach the big goal of doing a pull-up.
4) Don't give yourself a Plan B. If you say you're going to do a specific workout on a specific day, do it. For example, if your goal is to run a race, don’t say, “I’m going to run five miles Thursday after work, but if I don't, I'll do a spin class Saturday morning.” The spin class is the Plan B. This kind of logic lets you off the hook for the goal of the day. Don’t give yourself permission to not complete the task because Thursday you may be too tired, hungry or eager to go to happy hour with your friends. If you say you’ll run, do it. Nip Plan B in the bud. Do what you need to do to achieve your goal.
5) You are who you hang with. If your friends aren't into the thing you're trying to achieve, it's okay to make a different variety of new friends: a "gym friend," a "running buddy," or a "healthy food prep pal." Hang out with people who will support your uphill mission (not that your other friends can’t support you). Besides, it’s great to have the kind of support system that holds you accountable to your goal.
6) Get into the fit mindset with a go-getter attitude. If you see yourself as a martial artist, you will become a martial artist. Don’t get discouraged. There's nothing like working your tail off and eating healthy for 3 days then feeling disappointed when the scale doesn't move or your skill level for a sport hasn't increased. We want instant gratification; it's just the way we're wired, but goals of value take time. Getting into the fit mindset will help, and setting up mini-goal stepping stones along the way will help you feel and see more progress, thereby, encouraging you to continue on your personal journey.
There are so many things you can accomplish, no matter how out of reach they may seem. Sometimes, the scariest thing is knowing that you possess all the keys to unlock your own potential. You just have to find the motivation and self-worth to dig deep and truly commit. When you reach your goal, don't let that be your end game; keep going and continue to sharpen your skill set or your lifestyle change. Don’t let all of the hard work and sacrifice be only to reach a temporary goal, but a permanent one.
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Focus. Try. Succeed.
Linda Kessler: on-demand, on-line trainer. Get a free workout at www.FreeFitnessVideo.com.
