We’re nearing the end of the first quarter of 2015 (seriously, where does the time go?) and this is often a time when people review the goals they set back at the start of the year. Unfortunately it’s also about the time most people realise they actually gave up on said resolutions a long time ago!
With this in mind I thought it’d be a good time to share the following post with you that was originally sent out to my email list back at the end of 2014.
Statistics suggest 88% of all people who set resolutions fail.
That’s a staggering majority…
id you succeed in achieving the resolutions you set for yourself last year? (If you did… congratulations, you’re one of the 12%!)
Just WHY are resolutions so hard to to keep? Why do most of us fail?
In today’s blog post I’ll tell you exactly why, and what you can do this year to maximise your chances of not only achieving, but exceeding your goals and resolutions and make 2015 the year you get your best ever body.
Let’s forget the “New Year, New You” nonsense and get serious about this. Let’s instead focus on changing the way you set goals.
I believe the reason most people fail to achieve their goals / resolutions is because either the REASON attached to the goal is not powerful enough (or there is no ‘why’ at all) or because the goal isn’t really a goal at all….
(^^ Read that again)
Allow me to explain.
A common goal / resolution (and one very fitting to this email) is: “I want to lose weight.”
Perhaps that was one of your resolutions, too? But this isn’t really a goal at all, is it? Why? Simply because it’s too vague and there is no deadline attached to it.
I’d go as far to say if that was your goal/resolution, you probably haven’t been successful in achieving it up until now. To make this a better goal, you could change it to: “I want to lose 10lbs by the end of April”
We’re getting there now…
But if you want to get really specific and make this a POWERFUL goal (something we teach in the mindset module of our weight loss programmes), then this is the way to do it:
“I want to lose 10lbs by the end of April BECAUSE by doing so I will feel more confident in my body appearance and can finally go to the swimming pool without feeling self conscious and anxious.”
Adding the ‘because’ or ‘so that’ to the end of the goal is forcing you to THINK ABOUT THE REASON WHY you have the desire to achieve that goal and creates an emotional attachment.
It can also be the one thing that makes the pain of staying where you are greater than the pain of taking action to achieving your goal (the primary source of procrastination) to ignite your ‘inner fire’ and spur you into action.
So your challenge today is this:
1) Grab a pen an paper and re-write all the primary goals for your health, fitness or body shape you originally set for 2015. Be as specific as possible.
2) Make sure there is a means by which you can measure the progress towards your goal e.g. a tape measure to measure inches lost round your waist or scales to measure weight loss.
3) Add or revise the deadline for each goal.
4) Review your goal to make sure that it’s both realistic and achievable in the time frame you’ve given yourself (but don’t be afraid to be lofty).
5) Identify the reason WHY you want to achieve this goal. Don’t skip this bit, it could well be the most important step in the entire process.
Use the example I gave above to help you get started. Go and grab a pen and paper and complete this exercise now.
This goal setting system is quite a powerful tool (in combination with various other factors) for ensuring success in achieving your goals, and this is why the Luke Bremner Fitness team spend the first few sessions with our new clients exploring goals in this depth.
If you’d like to accelerate your progress in 2015 and completely transform the way you look and feel, why not book in for your free consultation at our studio to find out how we can help?
For more expert advice on health, fitness, nutrition and weight loss, please like our Facebook page by clicking the button below:
[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]