How to (Actually) Stick to Your Goals this year

If there is something I’ve learned in the past 21 months, it’s that life is unpredictable.  It’s also taught a lot of us about patience and persistence.  I never would have thought that we would have to continue to endure restrictions, lockdowns, isolation, etc etc but here we are. 

I can also really relate to people when they speak of “pandemic fatigue” and I continue to encourage people to try and control your focus and pick something that you CAN control - especially at the beginning of a new year.  In my opinion, the way to create this focus is to have clarity on what is important to you and what you want to achieve - also known as Goal Setting.

I personally have been setting goals, and supporting my patients to do so as well, for many years and along the way I have discovered some approaches that have proven to be successful. 

Write it out…

You are more likely to achieve a goal if you write it down, or even better, tell somebody. When goals are written down, it gives you the opportunity to review them on a regular basis, reminding yourself of your ultimate outcome. 

When you tell someone, it is good to choose a person that will check in with you or perhaps offer to be your “buddy” or “accountability coach”. Keeping a goal in your head means it is only a dream and in order to turn your dream into a reality, you need to “write it out”.   

Be specific...

It is important to be very specific with your goals and have clarity in what success will look like when you achieve your goals. 

For example, if someone asked you what your goal was and you said: “I want to get in shape”, this goal would be too broad.

By not specifying exactly what it means to you to “be in shape”, you would have a very difficult time figuring out the steps that you would need to take to get there.

More specific goals would be: I want to add 150 minutes of activity a week into my health routine or I want to workout with weights for 30 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week. 

Being very clear on where you are starting from and where you want to go will help keep your goals attainable, with a realistic amount of effort, and inevitably ensure your success.

Speaking of successes, remember to celebrate them along the way as they trigger positive psychology and will motivate you to keep going. 

Baby Steps vs Large Leaps…

You need to break your goals down into action steps and the size of these steps has a direct impact on whether or not your goals will be attainable.

Keeping your action steps small ensures that you can consistently make time for them in your day, which in turn will ensure your success.

If adding exercise to your health routine is one of your goals and you are not currently exercising on a regular basis, it is important that you don’t have the expectation of going to the gym for an hour a day, seven days a week.

Start small and make sure that you assign specific times to execute them. Action steps that are not scheduled and are left to chance or “when I have 15 minutes today” will most likely not be completed on a consistent basis and may reduce the chances of achieving your goals.

It’s all about the journey...

I have noticed that people tend to focus more on the outcome of their goals than on the habits that are needed to get them there. 

No matter if your goal is to get to the next level or to completely change an outcome, you will need to adapt your habits in order to achieve it.

If you are trying to lose weight or remove processed foods from your diet, you will need to spend more time on your meal planning/preparing and food shopping. This may mean that you need to rearrange your schedule to allow for the time to do this if it is not already a part of your daily routine. 

Making these things a priority and allowing yourself the time to adapt your habits will be the catalyst that will move you toward your ultimate goal. Do not lose sight of the importance of executing small habits on a consistent basis as the cumulation of these habits will be what brings you good health.  

WHY is it important for me to achieve my goals?

In a future blog post, I will elaborate on how to determine your WHY as it is a fairly in-depth process. For now, I would like to briefly introduce you to the importance of it.  

No one is ever successful by relying on willpower alone. 

When making changes or working toward your goals, it is extremely important that you know WHY you are making these changes, WHY it is important that you change your habits and WHY your new habits are going to make a positive impact on your life.

Maybe you want to be able to go hiking next summer or your family is expecting their first grandchild and you want to be able to play with them on the floor. Perhaps your family has a history of heart disease and you don’t want to be another statistic. 

Whatever your WHY is, keep it close in thought as it will encourage you to stay on track with attaining your goals.  

So, to summarize:

• write them down and talk about them
• find someone who can help you be accountable
• be specific
• start from where you are
• remind yourself of your WHY
• consistently execute your goal-focused habits
• celebrate your successes along the way, even if they aren’t perfect

If you fall, get back up (and don't wait until Monday!). If you are tired, rest, but do not quit and NEVER give up on yourself!

If you need help hitting your goals,  my Longevity Academy Membership will give you step by step information that will help you get into the right mindset, help you gain an understanding of what you can do to impact your health the most and then map out a plan specific to you so you can then accomplish your goals - all for less than $1/day.