“If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.”... Lawrence J. Peter
We dream of things, necessity and material, that will improve our lives. To see an improvement, the first thing you need is the desire to improve. Your desires, shape your goals. If one has no desire to improve, increase, attain, become or even flee, then a goal may not be necessary. Right? Though, on the flip side, if one wants for anything, one must set goals.
Setting goals is a process for thinking about what it is you truly desire in life. What do you need to map out your ideal future? You set a goal because you’ve discovered there is something you are willing to put the work in for. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve helps you understand where you need to focus your time and efforts. Goals are like golden tickets, meant to be cashed in.
The hardest part of setting a goal is to start. And we think it starts with an idea. As a personal trainer I have the privilege of connecting with many driven people, and seeing just as many ideas. I get a front row seat to successes and failures on all levels. Let me tell you, an idea is just that, an idea. If there is no visualization, plan and execution of the plan, it never becomes more, period. As they say, “An idea without a plan is a dream.” Likewise “A goal without a plan, is just a wish”. So to actually start the journey towards your goal, what you really need, is a plan.
In setting your goal remember to make it SMART. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. By keeping these things in mind as you write down your goals, you far more likely to achieve success. When creating a plan, it is important to keep it simple. Small victories add up to big wins and sometimes championships. If you focus on the weight of the entire project instead of the task in front of you, i.e. the next thing, it will overwhelm you and eventually swallow you whole killing your dream in the process.
That’s not to say that if you fall or fail you can’t get back up try again, but for the time being we have to start at the previous square and make another attempt. It is best to take things one step at a time, one day at time and in small increments. In some cases once you start the execution phase, you find that the plan was an act of sheer folly and that you must alter your course completely. That is always okay because at the very least we have learned something and in my opinion there is no greater gift than to learn. I say be hopeful that things break and plans change during execution process because each time it happens we have moved forward. Better to break down in training than on race day I say.
“A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.” ... Bruce Lee
A person may say, “I am happy, I don’t want for anything and I don’t need to have goals”. I say, “Great!” to that, it must be nice to be completely content in life. Complete in mind, body, soul and spirit in your own eyes. That has to be the greatest gift this universe has to offer. Is it okay to just be, be comfortable, without desires, wants, wishes and ideas ? Of course it is, “Don’t Worry Be Happy” is one of my favorite songs and I believe they are words to live by. I also believe that you can have both. It is possible to be content and have goals at the same time. I know because that is what the people around me and I do everyday. We give thanks and appreciate what we have accomplished up to this point and strive to do better for ourselves and others around us. Do we have to strive for more to be happy ? Absolutely not, but it makes things that much more interesting. I like to say, “If you are not doing something, then you are not doing anything. Do something.”
Once you have achieved whatever it is you have set out to do it is important to acknowledge that victory as well as the small victories leading up to the big win. When you win little celebrate little and buy yourself some popcorn. Once you win big it is important to cash in all off those chips you’ve just won. Shut the casino down for a couple days and take a load off. Don’t close your eyes and let your accomplishments go unnoticed. Open them as wide as you can and take it all in. Once you’ve done that. Do it again.
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