Have you ever wanted a six-pack, worked out at the gym for a month, dieted like crazy, and after four weeks saw no results? For many bodybuilders and extreme gym-goers goal setting is a must. It is most important to know where they have been so they know where they want to go. Goal setting can be a beneficial habit to form for anyone though, not just for the weight lifters. It allows the performer to evaluate their current status, envision what they want to become, then make a plan to get there. I will use working out as an example of goal setting, but these principles can be used for anything.
Evaluating Yourself
The first step is to see where you are now. Whether it be a business setting, looking at the companies financials, or looking in the mirror with your shirt off, you need to see where you are now.
The best way to evaluate yourself is to begin by being honest with yourself. If you look in the mirror and know you can do better, then that is the beginning of your plan. Being honest with yourself allows you to better evaluate the situation that you are in, thus enabling you to make more effective plans later on. Ask yourself if where you are is where you want to be.
Asking this question will help to introspect, and really delve deep into your own mind to find the correct response. Now I will add that being honest with yourself does not mean to put yourself down. Only be honest, but not critical of yourself.
The Vision
The vision comes directly after the evaluating. Find the "gap" between where you are now and what you want. New-Year resolution-ers have great vision. They all want to be more physically fit, and they usually have a picture in their head of what they want to look like. This is envisioning your goal.
These New-Year resolution-ers pack the gym throughout January, they feel good about themselves because they have been going to the gym every day for the whole month. That is when they look in a mirror and see little results. Discouragement settles in and two weeks later they stop.
I personally anticipate those people leaving because I am a regular gym goer, and have been for over a year. Every week, almost every day, I have been at the gym. 6-7 in the morning is my sacred time to work out. But why did I make it while so many others quit after a month or two? It all has to do with the planning.
The Plan
There are some essential steps to planning. It is the most important part; it is where the steps to be taken are set, and the whole transformation is made. Here are some steps that must be considered while making a plan:
1. Make sure you do your research
2. Start small, then go bigger
3. Be realistic
Making a plan is where we crunch the numbers. We see what is possible for change, and then we quantify how that change will happen. In the case of working out, we take what we have now and project into the future what we want. We then take what we are and make day by day, week by week plans to reach that goal.
Doing the research is might be the most important step. For a business, it is researching their financials, and the financials of their competitors, growth models, forecasted financials, etc. With physical fitness it is knowing the difference between carbs, fats, and proteins. From there you need to know the different types of each, how they affect the body insulin levels and blood sugar levels, and their relative calorie count.
Starting small allows for us to ease into a harder lifestyle. For business, it allows the business to get used to certain budget cuts to maximize profits in the long run. In the gym, it is dropping your ego at the door and using weights that you can actually lift. Being realistic is a part of this step. Don't make goals or plans that are too hard, or too strenuous. A company that makes too big of budget cuts may drop the whole company. Gym goers who expect too much of themselves may hurt themselves, or burn themselves out and quit the gym. Do what you can do.
Those who learn to hone the art of goal making, setting, and reaching will go far in life. I have learned this valuable lesson, and it has been reinforced in my spiritual life too. If I make realistic goals to be closer with God, it becomes more possible. I see it happen, and I know it works. Just as I know it works for every other thing in life.
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