The New Year is starting and I’m writing about setting goals. How cliche is that? Before you write this off as ANOTHER New Year, New Me blog post, hear me out. I get it. Goal setting is easy. You’ve been setting goals since you were in 5th grade. The hard part is actually following through.

The Two Biggest Reasons You Aren’t Accomplishing Your Goals:

1. You’re working on WAY too many things at once
2. You have an unclear or fuzzy idea of what outcome you want to have happen.

We ALL have the power to overcome both of those obstacles and master the ability to finish what we start.

Naturally, most of us have a variety of goals we’d like to reach in all areas of our life. But, for the month of January, we’d like to challenge you to use our Fitbliss Goal Setting Formula to decide upon a single goal to focus on and define that goal in a way that is specific, measurable, and achievable.

Once you master these steps and experience the power of bringing one important project to life faster than you ever imagined possible — you can apply these skills to all other areas of your life too!

THE FITBLISS FORMULA FOR SETTING GOALS

STEP 1: BRAINSTORM

Go to a quiet place with your journal or a fresh online document. Shut off your phone, close email and eliminate all distractions.

1. Start making a list of your goals. These goals or projects should be exciting, challenging and deeply important to you. Remember, we are ONLY going to one goal for the month of January but it doesn’t hurt to have a big picture view of what you’re working towards.
2. If you’re struggling to come up with goals, think about what you could accomplish that would make a positive impact on your life. What do you really want or need to do? Areas that we typically have our clients consider are career, family, health and fitness, mental health, financial, and travel/experience goals.

STEP 2: DIG DEEPER

One by one, work through each possible goal by asking yourself the following questions.

1. What’s the personal payoff for making this happen?
2. What impact will reaching this goal have on my life — mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, or financially?

STEP 3: EVALUATE IT

• How will this goal ultimately benefit me and others?
• What’s the payoff for my family, team, customers, community, or greater society?
• Who will I have to become in order to make this project a reality?
• What skills, habits, or character traits do I need to develop in order to bring this idea to life?

STEP 4: ASK THE HARD QUESTIONS

Once you’ve evaluated each goal or project, tap into your heart, mind and intuition and ask yourself:

1. Given all considerations, which one of these goals or projects would mean the most if I could follow through and complete it?
2. What’s the single project or goal that — if you finished it — would make the most tremendous positive impact on your life.

STEP 5: DEFINE IT

Now that you’ve decided on your single project or goal, you must define exactly what success will look like when you’re done.

Make sure your goal is:

SPECIFIC

MEASURABLE

ACHIEVABLE

These simple parameters will give you the best chance for success in achieving your goals. There will be no room for confusion, delay, or excuses. You’ll be able to say with confidence, “Yes, I’m done – I did it!”

STEP 6: DESCRIBE YOUR GOAL OR PROJECT IN A SPECIFIC CONCRETE WAY

Broad, general descriptions are kryptonite if you’d like to master achieving your goals. Include clear and measurable time frames and make sure this goal is possible for you to accomplish what you’re setting out to do.

VAGUE GOAL

“I really want to compete in a powerlifting meet.”

SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE AND ACHIEVABLE GOAL

“I am going to compete in a powerlifting meet in March of 2019. To achieve this goal, I will train 4 days per week. I will train on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.”

YOUR TURN

Now use a journal to describe your goal in a specific, measurable way.

STEP 7: COMMIT TO HOW OFTEN YOU’LL RECORD AND REVIEW YOUR PROGRESS

Do you need to review your progress daily, weekly or at some other interval? What tool, method or system will you use? Choose a frequency and tracking method that’s appropriate for your project and lifestyle.

For instance, consider setting a standing appointment every Friday to review your week’s follow-through progress. You’ll have a set time to review what worked and what didn’t, so you can adjust for the week ahead. Here are some examples to spark your imagination:

• I’ll track my progress daily by using my morning journal.
• I’ll use my work notebook to write down whether or not I hit my daily goal, and review my week’s progress every Friday at 4pm. That will help me adjust my game plan before the upcoming week.
• Jen and I now have a weekly accountability call set up on Wednesdays at noon to do a 10-minute check in.
• Now write down how frequently you’ll track your progress and what method or tool you’ll use to do so.

Set yourself up for success, not stress. Re-examine your goal and make sure it’s bold but still doable. If it is, you’re set. Get started on your goal! If it’s not, tweak your goal until it feels right for you. Happy Goal Setting, Fitbliss Babes!

Looking for extra help in achieving your fitness goals? Get started with the Fitbliss Fitness team!