THE BREAKDOWN on Setting Goals

“Setting an intention is very different from having an expectation.  An intention is a focus that empowers healing, allowing it to unfold naturally.  An expectation tends to limit healing because holding an expectation is a form of rigid control and involves passing judgment.”

-Phylameana Lila Desy

I often get asked, “How do YOU set goals?”

Since we’re all about health, nutrition, and fitness here, I will go ahead and break down goals into those terms and concepts.

I like to start with BIG GOALS first.  Something that may take a year, 6 months, 3 months, or longer.

I hear the Coach Ask:  WHAT DO YOU WANT?

I’ll use my very own classic example for case in point.  From the perspective of how I felt in 2007 at 350lbs.

Me:  I want to lose weight.

Coach:  WHY?

Me:  I want to feel better.  Live better.  And move better.

Coach:  WHY DO YOU WANT TO DO THAT?

Me:  I want to be able to actually connect with others, have relationships, and experience life in a fuller way than I am now.

Coach:  WHAT DOES A GOAL WEIGHT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU THAT YOU THINK YOU’LL BE ABLE TO DO THIS?

Me:  I’m 350lbs now…  And it SUCKS!!!  I can’t do ANYTHING.  I’ve always dreamed of getting to 199 again.

Coach:  SO YOUR BIG GOAL IS TO LOSE 150 LBS?

Me:  Yes.

Coach:  BY WHEN?

Me:  One Year from now.  365 days.

I’m coming up on 8 years of making that change.  After some deep reflection and expanded perspective through working with others on their own goals, I’ve seen some very repetitive themes.  People need a master plan or a road map when they’re attempting to achieve BIG GOALS.

The following pictures are what that road map looks like for my goals in 2007.

---

The BIG GOAL.  Lose 150lbs in 1 year.

Now this is where it can get tricky, but it’s an important next step.  You need to breakdown the BIG GOAL into small chunks.  This is an easy example to show what those small chunks might look like.

The above examples show two important breakdowns of some pivotal points and check ins on a year long goal.  Quarterly marks, and a halfway mark will again allow you to turn the progress and action steps towards achieving that goal into a more attainable feat.

For our example, My six month goal was to have Lost 75lbs.  My quarterly goals were broken down into 37.5lb chunks.

---

Now let’s take that first quarter of attempting to move towards this BIG GOAL.

Once I have the Master Plan Road Map developed and programmed for the BIG GOAL I put all of that aside, and I focus on this first 3 month goal as if IT IS the BIG GOAL.

With this new ‘BIG GOAL’ I again need to break it down into SMALL CHUNKS.

3 months can be shifted into 12 weeks like this.

Now we’ve got 12 weeks to break up our weight loss goal of 37.5lbs, so that would be 3.125 lbs lost per week.  If the math shakes out evenly (Remember this is life, and life doesn’t always shake out evenly like mathematics. But, paying attention to the math can give us a great overview and plan to work with).

Now, technically speaking a weight loss goal should ‘never’ exceed 1-2lbs of weight loss per week unless you’re under a doctor’s care. 😉  But this is just an example and breakdown of how this experience worked for me.

HOW and WHAT I did during 2007-2008 to lose the weight involved a lot of time and attention to the basics of nutrition and exercise.  I had to learn how the intake and output system of my very own body worked.  There were no tricks, no gimmicks, and no diets.  Just a consistent awareness with some very helpful tools like a trainer, an activity tracker, nutrition guidelines, and a loving supportive family that helped me stay on track for this BIG GOAL every day.

AND, I Walked, A LOT.

---

I started this Whole thing with ONE BIG YEAR LONG GOAL, and now I’ve got a feasible breakdown of a weekly goal to work towards that will keep me on track for 365 days.  Next, you really have to utilize your powers of release/surrender/faith/trust, whatever you believe in, or whatever works for you, to put that 365 days number out of your mind.

Your only focus should be 1 week.

---

SEVEN days…

Can you stick to a plan for SEVEN days?  Can you commit?  Do you see why it would be worth it?  Are you worth it?  Read my previous blog post Dreams & Setting Goals for a little more depth into these questions.

We can break these numbers down even further.  Does SEVEN days seem like too much?

Ok, let’s do ONE DAY.  What do you need to do TODAY to achieve your goals?  Are you doing THAT?  Are you even TRYING?

Just for today.  Just for this hour.  Just for this minute.  Just for this second.  Just for this moment.  NOW.

Everyone has different goals that they can apply to this BREAKDOWN, and there are all sorts of ways to hold yourself accountable day to day, moment to moment. Here’s another previous blog post about using numbers to stay accountable and holding space in the in between, Measurements, Tracking, Goals, & Progress.

In the end, I really believe that one of the biggest things is TRYING.  As long as you’re TRYING, you’re going to figure it out, you’re going to fail, and then you’re going to try again, and then some how, some way, you’re going to DISCOVER A WAY.  You’re going to crack open EVERYTHING you’ve been looking for, and you’re going to keep doing it because YOU KNOW it works.  Why?  Because you’re Living it.  You’re experiencing it.  And THAT’S exactly how to travel Open Roads, the Unknown, the Life of your Dreams.

LIVE.

Experience.

Try.

Set Goals.  Break it down.  And let it go.

Then Try Again.

#FosteringFitnessNow

Do you need help breaking down your goals?  Do you have something you’ve always dreamed of achieving but don’t know how?  Email me.  Let’s have this conversation.  Let’s break it down.

---

References

Desy, Phylameana Lila. (2012). The Everything Guide to Reiki. Avon, MA: Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc. Print.