This really got me thinking! I have been rationalizing a degree of slacking, aka using rational-LIES. (Yes- first of all, I am not a robot so I struggle with stretch goals too.) Secondly, I am thankful for a renewed awareness of what most people are going through with their goals.
Most of us have at least one goal where achievement seems to elude us. We get close, or we achieve it temporarily, but then we're back to our old ways again in no time. We all know many people with an elusive, magical or even symbolic, "I will be so happy when..." type of goal that they've had for years, but don't seem to be making much headway. People want it badly, they yearn for it, but they don't change their behavior, habits, or consistent choices in order to get it done. In my case, it's a personal fitness goal. After turning a certain age (a-hem, 4-0, thankyouverymuch), and struggling for the past couple of years more than in former decades, I realized there is at least one important reason for this: I EXPECTED it to be harder to maintain youthful fitness (so of course it is).
Let's get solutions-focused. I've put together a short series of questions to work through the angst and come out achieving, one way or the other! But wait, before we get to the questions: HAPPINESS is not a goal to be achieved, but a state of mind that we are capable of creating regardless of circumstances. Be cautious about assuming happiness is a condition of achievement; they are separate. Work on being happy now with what you have, and in parallel, work on achieving your goals.
1) How committed are you to achieving the goal? Rate yourself from 1(not at all) to 10 (totally dedicated). If someone were to offer you a million dollars to achieve the goal, would you be more motivated? Your answers may surprise you.
2) Is it the right goal for you? How meaningful is this for YOU, your purpose, your passion, and your intentionally created future, or your legacy?
3) Are there intermediate steps or milestones you can set to help its attainment? If it feels do-able over time but overwhelming initially, this is a great technique. I call this bread-crumbing...create yourself a path to follow. Also mentally easier to grasp, i.e. "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."
4) Who do you need to become in order to achieve (and maintain) this goal? If you cannot see yourself being this person, living this lifestyle, doing and saying those things, it's either not the right goal for you, or you need to work on reprogramming your image.
5) What are your next 3 steps? This ties back to creating yourself a path to follow... Just do it, start now.
Today, I signed up for personal training sessions, scheduled the next 2 weeks workouts, and found some new healthy recipes. Feel free to share your story, your action steps, and your progress below!
To your continued success,
Heather A Legge
Coaching in Business to Change Habits and Boost Results-Envision Success Inc
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