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Goals, we all have them. But how many goals go unmet or under-met?
How often have you said, "I'm going to start....working out, getting up earlier, eating better, spending more time with my kids, reading more, getting more sleep, drinking more water, writing in a journal, meditating....".
There's countless things we want to do in order to make our lives better and to become more accomplished. But how do people who smash goals all the time do it?!
So, I'm one of those annoying people who is a "goal smasher". I make goals all the time and almost always accomplish them. I'm not trying to brag here- my goal is to tell you how I do it and hopefully this will help you with your goals.
Let's get started.
In order to smash your first goal you need to have one to begin with. This might sound obvious but most people will want to get to an end point without having a clear destination, or the destination they're trying to reach is so hard and unattainable that they quit.
My first advise is to pick a small, manageable, realistic and very specific goal.
For example, if your goal is to lose 10 lbs that's all well and good but what's going to get you there? That "lose 10 lbs goal" is actually made up of many, many smaller goals. These goals might include:
Track what you eat
Drink 1 gallon of water everyday
Workout 3-4 times a week
Don't snack throughout the day
Get 8 hours of sleep
Manage stress (which can include at least 100 different things!)
And many more factors
PICK ONE of these to start with. Yes, just one. WHY?
If you aren't doing all of these things already you need to start with baby steps. Master one of these things and completely master it- make it part of who you are, a part of a lifestyle that you don't even need to think about doing. You just do it. This is where the goal smashing begins.
Hopefully you have picked just ONE small goal to start with so let me tell you how to get there. I actually feel silly telling you this because it's so simple it's almost embarrassing. It's simple but won't always be easy.
You need to: WIN THE DAY
Who doesn't love winning?
Winning the day looks like this...
You need to WRITE DOWN and DO the action that will get you to your goal. If your goal is to drink a gallon of water everyday you need to make that goal as part of your list of things you WILL DO today.
This list is what will allow you to win the day. This is exactly how I do this.
The night before or first thing in the morning I write down 3-5 things I will absolutely get done that day. Those things are goal-driven actions. DO NOT write down more than 5 things!
Today my list looks like:
Run 15 mins
Work on my blog
Pick up my Rx
Swim Workout
Pedicure 5pm
Some of the things on this list are just basic things I have on my calendar but some like running and swimming are two actions that will get me to my goal of finishing a 70.3 Ironman race in June 2021. Not all the things on your list will be for that specific goal. As you can see I'm getting a pedicure today. This might not get me closer to my Ironman goal but it does address stress relief and keep my feet happy in order to keep running. So, in a round-about way it does help.
I have my list for today. When I accomplish each of these things I get to check them off my list. When I check everything off my list I have "WON THE DAY".
Now, maybe tomorrow I keep a few of these things on my list (because I'm trying to create a habit) or maybe a few things change. The point is, I'm going to put these non-negotiable things on my list because one or all of them will get me closer to my goal.
To continue, tomorrow comes and I accomplish all the things on my list again! I won the day, again! YAY! Maybe the next day comes and a Derecho hits my town and I don't get the things on my list done. OK, not all is lost. I'll get my list accomplished the next day. At the end of the week maybe I've won the day 5 out of 7 days! Guess what? I've Won The Week.
Now the next week is here and I'm going on vacation. I didn't get any of my days won. But the 3rd week I'm back on track and have won the week with 4/7 days won. The 4th week I've also won the week with 6/7 days won. Where does that leave me at the end of one month? I've won 3 out of 4 weeks that month.....I've won the month!
You see, smashing goals has very little to do with perfection and everything to do with consistency. If you can win the day, win the week and keep winning for an entire year how much farther will you be towards accomplishing your goals? I'm going to bet you'll smash every goal in your path if you keep this up. The GOAL is to not be perfect, to not give up when you have one bad day, but to be intentional with your actions TODAY.
I've said it a hundred times to myself, my family, my coaching clients and my friends.
"Most people overestimate what they can accomplish in one month, but underestimate how much they can accomplish in one year, or two years, or more."
I hope this helps you become the goal-smasher you want to be! I'd love to hear how you're doing with your goals and what they are.
And always,
Here's to your health,
