Goal Setting Begins with the End in Mind
One of Charles Poliquin’s principles was to "always begin with the end in mind." A lot of people have very vague goals like "I want to lose weight", "I want to get strong", or "I want to be fit and healthy." Vague goals lead to vague results; most of these people fail to achieve their goals because they fail to clearly define the destination. This holds true for all of our goals in life, not just in the gym.
In this post, I'm going to focus primarily on training goals, but the same principles apply to all other lifestyles, career, and business goals.
What are you training for?
Are you training for your health?
Are you training for healthspan?
Are you training for strength, speed, or power?
Are you training for injury prevention?
Are you training for sports performance?
Are you training for flexibility?
Are your training goals S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely)?
If your goal is to "tone up", what does that look like to you? Are you trying to fit into a certain size of clothing? Are you trying to reach a certain body fat percentage? Are you looking to build lean muscle mass or drop a certain amount of body fat? What do you measure to track your progress? What is the timeframe of this goal? Is this measurement and time frame achievable and realistic?
If you have a skill-based goal, such as a handstand, what dose that look like? Is that a 30-second freestanding straight body handstand? Is that a 30-second tuck handstand or a straddle handstand? Is it a 60-second wall facing handstand? What is your current level of handstand ability? How long does it take to achieve a freestanding handstand? How much time can you commit to handstand and mobility training each week? Is this a realistic goal?
To be successful in your goals, you need to be able to answer these types of questions. Otherwise, you will lose motivation and fall off the horse, as the saying goes. How can you make a successful plan if you don't have a destination and a map that shows you how to get there?
Define what success looks like?
Step one is to define what the ideal outcome is going to be. Goal setting begins with the end in mind.
What is your motivation to achieve this goal?
Why is it important to you?
How will you feel when you accomplish this goal?
What is stopping you from reaching this goal? Why have you not done it before?
What are you willing to sacrifice to reach this goal?
The reasons for wanting to make a change and set new goals are endless and unique to you. Only you know why this goal is important to you? To help achieve your goals, it's important to attache and emotion, how will this make you feel? Research has shown that attaching emotions to a goal can increase the likelihood of achieving that goal.
This process of reflecting on your motivations, and identifying the emotions behind them will show you the true essence of why this goal is important to you.
When defining a goal, there are a number of well-studied components that influence the probability of you attaining it:
1. Is it achievable?
Top achievers think BIG! However, there is a key difference between achievers and dreamers. If you focus on 1-3 well-defined goals at a time, you will be surprised what you can accomplish. If you're trying to work on more than 3 goals, your chances of success are limited. It's OK to have more than 3 goals; just choose your top 3 and focus on them before you move onto your other goals.
2. Attache a deadline (timely)
Deadlines are a key component to planning and goal setting. Far too many people pluck a random number out of the air that is unachievable in the specified timeframe. An experienced coach can often help you set realistic goals and timelines. Try to find a coach that has experience with the specific goal you're trying to achieve and ask them for a realistic timeframe.
Short-term goals 4-12weeks are often more achievable than long term goals. Willpower and motivation are very limited resources, and it can be hard to stay on track in the long game. One exception to this would be a competition, but most athletes have the dedication and determination to stay on the right path.
There can be times when setting a timeline can be difficult. If this is the case, try to focus on the process and enjoy the journey. Allow the body to achieve each milestone when it is ready; this is not an excuse to get lazy; you still need to work hard.
3. Measure progress - what gets measured, gets managed
You need to be able to say, with certainty, that you are making progress toward your goals. If you don't have quantifiable progress tracking in place, how do you know if you're making progress? Often we hear of people track their body weight, their calories, or how much weight is on the bar. But are these numbers connected to your goals? Do these numbers motivate you to stay on course?
You should be able to answer the following questions with a definitive YES or NO and have the data to prove it:
Am I getting closer to my goal?
Have I achieved my goal?
When you can track your progress with precision, you can break the goal down into smaller milestones. Seeing progress helps is to stay motivated, especially when we are on target to reach the end goal. By adding multiple milestones along the way, you can start to design a step-by-step plan which makes the process more manageable. If your goal is to perform a 60sec nose to wall handstand in 12 weeks from now, you should be aiming for a 30sec nose to wall handstand in 6 weeks from now, and possibly a 15sec nose to wall handstand in 3 weeks from now.
4. Reward each step
It's easy to get distracted, lose sight of your goals, or feel a drop in motivation along the way. This is why it's so important to reward yourself along the way. Each of the milestones should come attached with a reward. There is no point in rewarding yourself with something that is going to move you further away from your goals. Instead, treat yourself to a sauna, a massage, a new set of gym clothes, buy some new gym equipment for the home gym, or a meal and a healthy restaurant.
Choosing the right reward can keep motivation high while simultaneously helping to facilitate further progress.
5. Establish the right habits
Successful goal setting is not only about installing the right habits; it’s also about removing the bad habits. There are going to be certain habits that will make or break your chances of success. Behaviour changes are based on what you are willing to do, and what you are willing to sacrifice. You need to make a list of all the right behaviours that you need to do, and all of the wrong behaviours that you need to stop doing.
Successful behaviour change often starts with the environment we operate in. Where will you train? Is it close to work or close to home? What food do you have in the house? Who do you live with? Who do you work with? Who do you spend the most time with? What obstacles might get in the way? If you set up the right environment and surround yourself with the right people, your chances of success are going to be significantly higher.
Simply blocking out time in your schedule to work on your goals is a good place to start. When will you go to the gym? When will you prepare your meals? When will you go shopping for healthy food?
When an obstacle comes up, you need to stop and think, will this bring me close to my goals, or will it move me further away from my goals? Who are you trying to please, yourself or someone else? Don't let others derail your progress.
Summary:
Setting goals, defining milestones, creating a plan, changing our behaviours, and implementing a reward system is not easy. So many people fail to achieve their goals because they don't take the time to follow these steps. By building a clear vision of what you are setting out to achieve, creating the optimal environment, building the right habits, and then following it through by rewarding the steps can help you fall in love with the process of deliberate practice. And help you achieve the goals you've been struggling with for years.
If your having trouble setting your training goals or achieving your training goals we would be happy to work with you.
