The Goal is to KEEP the Goal the Goal

If you are overwhelmed by the amount of health and fitness information available, you are not alone. Every day we see messages about magical fruit drinks, ground-breaking diet pills, and core burning workout videos that claim to be the one thing that will help you to reach your goals. Just do this one thing and all will be better! As I am sure many of you know, it is not that easy, but that doesn’t mean that reaching your goals is complicated. There are only a few simple concepts that you need to know to reach just about any goal you set, and today, we will talk about the most important of those ideas.

I was watching a video this week by a strength coach named Dan John and he said something that stuck with me. He said that whenever someone comes to him for help, his main job is to just keep the goal the goal. We all know the January 1^st syndrome…everyone has goals and aspirations to get back on track, start fresh, and this time, really make a change. Then what happens? Life. And that goal is quickly forgotten, only to be remembered the next year, only this time, you are even further from it. So what is the first and most important step to reaching any goal? It is to KEEP the goal the goal! You must do whatever it takes to keep that goal in front of you. This could include writing it down and posting it on your bathroom mirror, or hiring a coach to help keep you on track. Whatever it is, you need to keep the goal at the front of your mind and only then will you be ready to take action.

This is not to mean that goals cannot change (a very common part of goal setting), but without first committing to SOMETHING, there will never be forward movement. It is so easy to become comfortable in how we do things and to sacrifice what we want just to keep our lives constant. There is good in having stability, but if it forgoes those things you want most for your life, then it may be worth shaking things up a bit. One of the great benefits of setting and keeping goals is that you learn a lot about what it is you really want. You may set one goal, get halfway there, and then realize that there is actually something you want more. Great! This is the journey that will lead you on a fulfilling life path. It is a long process, but if you do not take that first step, then the opportunity to be the best you can be will never present itself.

So this week, the only thing I want you to worry about is determining what that first goal will be. What is something that you have wanted to accomplish relating to health, fitness, lifestyle, work, family, etc.? If this is something you know you want, make this goal your top priority for the rest of the year, and commit to KEEPING this the goal. Just think about how much you could accomplish by staying focused on a single goal for a month, six months, or a year? It is consistent, steady movement that makes all the difference, the hard part is making sure that you keep moving in the same direction. The goal is to keep the goal the goal. Find your goal, stay on course, and the sky will be the limit!