Achieving Your Dreams Through Goal Setting

Well, another year bites the dust. Here we are in approaching a brand new year. I wonder how many of my readers resolved to ‘finally lose the weight they want to lose?’ Resolutions are great! The truth is, they hardly ever are carried through to a successful conclusion. Why is that?

Speaking from personal experience, when I used to make resolutions, I did so without a plan. Oh sure, I had a purpose in mind. What I didn’t have was a plan.

What I did have were a bunch of things I wished to accomplish without knowing whether I could or how to accomplish these wishes. What is my goal in life, setting goals and not thinking about wishes is the key.

One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to get physically healthier, specifically to lose or gain weight. But, that is not enough. Having a long-term goal is only the beginning. Now, you need to set incremental goals. The incremental goals are like mile markers on the freeway. They focus on progress toward the ultimate goal.

In this hypothetical case, I would set my incremental goals at six pounds. So your first measurable goal is 174 pounds, the next is 168 pounds, and so on.

By setting incremental goals you are providing moments for celebration. You’ve reached a point on your journey that you decided is important. Now celebrate and resume focus on your next incremental goal.

Losing Weight and Goal Setting Meaning

Another problem is when so many people make New Year’s resolutions. They do so in the plural. They make a whole series of resolutions. I will lose weight, I will quit smoking, and I will get a new job. I will be nice to people. On and on goes the list. That is a recipe for failure. We should think in terms of a single 2023 New Year’s RESOLUTION.

There is nothing that will derail your plans as making too many of them at a time. One Goal at a time is all we can handle when making a lifestyle change. So, for the past few years, I made it a point to only focus on one change. When that goal is reached, I then focus on another. That way, my focus is not interrupted by the noise of other resolves.

And most of the time, it goes like this:

1. Their smart goals are fueled to the max for the first two weeks and they’re consistently going to the gym and eating healthy.

2. They break their gym streak because their days were too busy or they weren’t in the mood to go.

3. They become miserable with their diet.

4. They give up and go back to their usual routine.

5.  What is my goal in life

Whether it’s a physical health goal or not, most people fail to achieve their resolutions, and there could be several reasons why. Lack of discipline, not setting specific goals, having unrealistic expectations, etc.

But yesterday, I watched a video where this guy talked about his weight loss journey, and how he lost 30 pounds in 10 months.

He went into things like his eating habits, his exercise routine, and how he kept himself motivated throughout his journey.

The last part is what I want to talk about because the advice he gave was so simple and so obvious, but you don’t see most people doing it.

It worked for him, and his appearance showed it. If I compare how the guy looked one year ago to what he looks like now, goal-setting is incredible.

What he said was this:

Instead of telling yourself, “This year, I want to eat healthier and exercise more,” you say, “I want to lose X number of pounds by Y date.”

Of course, this isn’t anything revolutionary. It follows the principles of SMART goals Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives is a good way to plan the steps to meet the long-term goals of your grant.

It helps you take your commitment from ideas to action:

Specific – Set real numbers for smart goals

Measurable – The goal is trackable

Achievable – The goal is realistic

Relevant – Whether or not the goal aligns with your overall objective and life goals

Time-based – Setting a deadline

This is something that was taught to us at some point during our dreaded schooling days, yet people tend to forget to set deadlines for themselves and understand the goal-setting meaning.

As I mentioned before, we humans procrastinate, and if we don’t have deadlines to meet, then nothing will get done.

Plus, it’s not less daunting to think about life goals examples and maintaining an exercise and diet routine for 10 months versus doing it for the rest of your life. And by the time you push through those 10 months, that new routine will become a habit.

Hopefully, that’ll be a good refresher for you and will help if, or when, you’re setting your 2023 smart goals.