Okay so here's one of the most powerful goal setting formulas in the world! It comprises of 11 simple to follow steps but each of them is vital.
Here's how it goes.
1) Set Specific Goals - Be specific. Narrow your scope. Be more detailed. Even right down to what weight you want to achieve or how much muscle you want to gain. Point is, be specific about your goal.
2) Set Measurable Goals - You need some kind of way to measure whatever your goal is. For example, you can't measure you're weight if you don't have a weighing scale, correct? If you can't measure you're weight, how would you know if you've already hit your target? The point is to find some kind of way to measure it, that's it. Here's some tips: Use the mirror. Yes, the mirror is a very useful tool. However, there is a small drawback. You perceive changes in your body too... slowly (It's like watching a plant grow). Thus, you might not even realize the difference in your body size or shape or anything!
Another helpful item is taking photos. It's important to at least take one photo before you start any program or anything else. Take photos once a week on the same day (if you took your first photo on a Monday, then always take your photos on Monday) or monthly. It depends solely on you.
A more accurate measuring device is of course the scale. However, it does not differentiate your body composition. On other words, it doesn't tell you how much fat you have and how much lean muscle you have. You can't distinguish those two. Weighing 180 pounds doesn't necessarily mean the person is fat. It may mean the person is seriously putting on some really bulky looking muscles!
To measure fat percentage, you can use a skinfold test although you need to buy a skin caliper. The price for it varies alot, depending on what brand you buy. One of the most common and accurate measuring skin calipers such as the Slimguide calipers can range anywhere from 150.00$ to 400.00$. Of course, there are much much cheaper ones though those give fairly accurate readings. You should try them out if you have the chance (I don't use this method. I just use a scale which can calculate fat percentage as well).
3. Set Big Goals.
A lot of times, you get people who say stuff like "I'm too old for that" or "I don't have that kind of body, I'm just not born with it". You might find other people who buy in to what their family, friends or anyone close to them who tell them to "get real" or "come back down to Earth" or "be realistic". But trust me when I say this: Nothing great was ever achieved by being realistic! Most people are scared not to put such big goals because they're afraid that they won't be able to reach it. So instead, they write down goals they THINK they can get but not goals they actually WANT. In order to stay motivated, you need to include those WANT goals!
So what do you want? A ripped body? More muscular? Fantasize and imagine yourself with it and tell yourself, "That's me, alright!" This is the starting point to make everything happen!
4. Set Realistic Deadlines For Your Goals To Be Achieved.
I'm sure you've seen ads on the internet or on billboards saying "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days" or "Get ripped in just 1 week". I can understand that the thought of that really makes you wonder more about it. But really, can it be done? Getting ripped in one week is plain ridiculous, especially if you've just entered into the world of fitness. Losing 30 pounds in 30 days if more believable. But they didn't say if it's fat or muscle. They've made it very clear: "Lose 30 pounds ..." But they failed to mention 30 pounds of WHAT?
To lose 30 pounds is easy. Just take up a diet that dehydrates you and stop drinking water for 1 or 2 days. But please don't try this, I'm only giving you an illustration. Why is it so easy? It's because 70% of your body is water. So get rid of that water, and there you have it! Less weight. But in actual fact, all you've just done was made your muscles suffer. Make it a point to focus on losing fat and not losing weight. Those two are very different.
5. Set Long-term & Short-term Goals.
You should have these 6 types of goals written down on a piece of paper. Don't aim for one goal only, but take up several goals!
1. Your long-term ultimate goal. (something like the finale)
2. 12 months goal.
3. 3 months goal.
4. Weekly goals. (this means your weigh-in every week)
5. Daily goals. (making sure you've done the best you can for the whole day)
6. THE GOAL OF BEATING YOUR PERSONAL BEST.
Your long-term ultimate goal should be your biggest goal ever! Don't worry if it's big or if other people say it can't be done. The only person stopping you from accomplishing your dreams and goals is yourself. If you can get over yourself, then the impossible becomes the possible. Next, make a 1-year goal. These goals should be fairly big but not TOO big or TOO small. Perhaps getting slimmer and losing most of your body fat?
Next is your 3 months goal. The most goals you probably can achieve at any period of given time would be in the 3 months goal. This is because 3 months is a perfect and ideal time frame for a lot of your short-term goals. In three months, a lot can happen (trust me). Example of a 3 months goal is lose 6 to 12% body fat or lose 12 to 24 pounds of fat. Now that's great goals you can work towards if your aim is to lose fat!
Another important one is weekly goals. This is the one that keeps everything in order. Every week you weigh-in, you can give an accurate determination if you are getting closer to achieving your long term goals. One week is ideal because it can provide you with information on your weekly progress. If you didn't lose any fat last week, then you need to change something in your nutrition or workouts. If you're not seeing any fair results, then just increase your workout intensity. Adjustments are very important. If you like the weekly results, then just keep doing what you did the previous week! Don't fix something when isn't even broken.
To achieve any of these goals stated above, you need to rely on your daily habits. 99% of what you do is out of the habits you have in your subconscious mind. Therefore, it is essential you get your mind sorted out before initiating any program or nutrition. Make sure you're cultivating good habits and kicking out bad ones. I know that those big goals you set can be intimidating at times but do not feel discouraged. Always remember that it's the small things (daily goals) which make big things (ultimate goal) happen.
And through all this, always keep in mind to take baby steps and go at your own pace. Focus on each of the little steps. That's because it's these steps that make one enormous step in the time to come.
The last goal isn't really... much of a goal but is actually more of a mindset. If you continue to have the habit of comparing yourself with others, it will only make you unhappy and unsatisfied with yourself. Know this: There will always be people who will be stronger, leaner, more athletic and more genetically gifted than you. The only secret is to compare yourself only to yourself and not to other people around you.
The trick isn't to have a good hand of cards, but to play a hand of bad cards well.
6. Set Emotional Reasons To Why You Want Those Goals.
Setting emotional reasons will make you more motivated. And the secret to success is to stay motivated. You need to have the "reason why" you WANT those goals - it gives you purpose to achieve your goals.
The philosopher Nietzsche said, “ If you have a strong enough why you can bear almost any
how.”
Remember this: Emotion is feeling. Feeling leads to thoughts. Thoughts leads to action. Action leads results. Results leads to the final outcome.
7. Make Sure None Of Your Goals Are Conflicting With One Another. First Priority Is Always Your Ultimate Goal.
For example, if one of your goals is to lose weight, make sure there isn't another goal which conflicts with it. In this case, building muscle. You can gain massive amounts of lean muscle accompanied by a slight decrease in body fat. But you might never see a large gain in lean muscle accompanied with large decrease in body fat. It's quite impossible. Let me show you why. To lose fat, you need a calorie deficit. To gain lean muscle, you need to have a calorie surplus, which means eating over your daily energy expenditure.
Here's some helpful advice: Get the fat off first, then you can concentrate on building muscle while staying lean.
8. Write Your Goals In Affirmations Or Declarations.
To do this, first start by writing your goals on a piece of paper. Then follow the following rules to setting up your affirmations or declarations.
i) Your affirmations MUST be personal. This means that you must use the words "I" or "I am" or "I have". Anything you say using the phrase "I AM" has power. It has strength. It has integrity. One of the best affirmations I have ever heard comes from Bob Proctor, and it goes like this: “I am so happy and thankful now that I am________________” (fill in your goal). It's so simple, yet so powerful!
ii) Your affirmations MUST be in present tense. To your subconscious there is no future. There is only past programming applied in the present. The subconscious mind only responds the most effectively to things in the present tense. Weird huh? But it's true. If you put the word "I am going", your subconscious mind usually reads it LIKE THAT. It makes sure that it stays in the future tense.
iii) Your affirmations MUST be positive. Write down what you want, not what you want to avoid.
9. Read Your Goals And Affirmations You've Written Down At Least Twice A Day. More Is Better.
By doing this, you always stay lock on to your goals throughout the day. Remember my last post about the wonders repetition can do? Here's one of its applications. You keep repeating this process of looking at your goals everyday until it sinks deep into your subconscious mind. Soon, it will become habitual. Even looking at your goals will become a habit (and a good one too). Don’t let the simplicity of the affirmation technique fool you. Be open and don’t judge it.
10. Read Your Goals With Faith.
Seeing is believing. Time to alter it. Seeing AND reading is believing. Read your goals with faith and strength. You can proclaim it out too. Don't whisper it out because you're more likely to think up a bad thought to hinder your goals. Shakespeare said, “Our doubts are out traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” Therefore, we can conclude that one must practice believing in yourself and "banish the doubt" within oneself to overcome anything that one faces.
To quote personal development expert Denis Waitley again, “Every captain knows his next port of call, and even though he cannot see his actual destination for fully 99 percent of his voyage, he knows what it is, where it is and that he will surely reach it if he keeps doing certain things in certain ways every day.”
Now THAT'S faith.
11. As You Read Your Affirmations And Goals, Mentally Visualize Them As Already Achieved.
Visualizing means imagining a picture or an image in your mental mind - without thinking words. Your brain doesn't read words immediately. If you think of your mom, you would visualize your mom and not the words M-O-M in your head right?
What I'm trying to say here is that pictures work better to penetrate into your subconscious mind. Therefore, visualizing your goals as already achieved in pictures in your head will work much more better than reading your goals just like that.
By visualizing your goals as already achieved, you are sending a clear message to your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind will make almost certain that your goal is achieved because that is how you are visualizing it. Remember, take things positively. Whether it's going to the gym or the idea of eating, stay positive and remember to put on a smile =). Everything will seem to get easier and your workouts will become better than ever. The end result of making “mental motion pictures” is that you will see results more quickly than you ever have before.
I know I've said a lot, so here are some ideas you can use to get a jump-start into this goal setting process:
I've lost 20 pounds of fat and am looking fabulous!
I can see my toes again! Hello toes!
I fit my size 32' pants perfectly. I can wear it without having to suck in my guts anymore!
After this program is over, I'm gonna keep up this healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life!
I lost 7% of my body fat and am looking great on the beach!
I've lost enough fat to spend my summer holidays with satisfaction!
What should you do after you achieve any of your goals?
1. Reward Yourself.
Eat some pizza. Eat a burger. Have a "cheat meal". Get something you've always wanted and don't feel guilty for any of it 'cause you know why? Because you deserve it! It's good to pamper yourself once you've accomplished one of your goals. It gives you something to look forward to every time you achieve a goal.
2. Keep A List Of Achieved Goals.
Success breeds more success. So my advise is to keep a list especially for your achieved goals. If anytime you lose your motivation, look back at your achievements on be dazzled by how many you've actually accomplished. You don't notice it, but in the long run, you are going to achieve many goals since the time you started. You'll be amazed. All you have to do is keep track of your successes.
3. Set New Goals Periodically.
You don't just stop right after you've finished all your goals. It's a non-stop process. Make new ones to get motivated. To improve yourself. To excel. If you do this, you won't have to worry about HOW to maintain a healthy lifestyle because you would be improving your lifestyle everyday! So, what's the worry when you know you're actually doing more than just maintaining?
There we go, I've covered the whole list up. Please stop reading now and get your pen and pencil out to start this. Remember, only you decide when you want to start. If you don't start now, it will get tougher for you in the future. Start early to get a head start. Seriously. Stop reading and start writing those goals! I wish you all the best!
P.S. (Stay healthy and look out for more updates)
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