For many of us we are used to setting goals in our careers that we work towards with, an often steely, determination. We have goals and aspirations for our children that we work our fingers to the bone to give them the best possible future. We are patient and measured in our approach to these aspects of our lives, realising that, for most, results don’t happen overnight. It takes sustained planning and persistence. Right?
However, when it comes to our health and wellbeing goals we get a bit woollier and less focused on the bigger picture, and the persistence required to keep our healthy lifestyle on track.
Whether its career or health goals, setting a plan that contains actions is essential for a clear road map to follow that drastically increases your chance of success.
Using these 6P’s for successful goal setting is a structure you can formulate a plan around that can significantly improve your chances of achieving your goals:
1. Passion
Passion for the goal you’re setting is vitally important. Choose a goal where you can fall in love with all of the steps and activities you need to undertake to achieve outstanding results in your life. If some of the steps feel onerous, then focus on the long term results you desire as this can help you overcome any struggles with the steps necessary to achieve your goal.
Love what you are doing and immerse yourself in the splendour of what you’re aiming to achieve, as this will keep your spirits high and keep you motivated to spur you on. Passionate people are motivated, enthusiastic, full of energy; completely committed to themselves and their lives. Why not make today the day you uncover, rekindle and enthusiastically live your true Passion.
2. Persistence
For most of us things don’t come easy, especially when reaching for some grand challenging plan. I would absolutely place weight loss and embracing a healthy lifestyle into this grand challenging plan category.
The road to success can be chaotic, and filled with resistance or obstacles that hamper you from doing what you need to do in working towards your goals.
We will always encounter such resistance, which shows up as family commitments, workload, depleted energy levels, time constraints and lack of resources…….. Finding ways to overcome and circumnavigate such resistance is vital in successfully achieving your goals.
We need to find strategies that overcome our society’ current attachment to instant gratification; the “I know what I want and I want it now” mentality. To achieve meaningful success, we need to develop mental toughness, courage, patience and persistence, perseverance and a plan.
Break your goal(s) into specific milestones. Break down those milestones into specific tasks that you focus on one at a time. Believe in and embrace each task with a positive mental attitude that will allow you to achieve your goals.
3. Perseverance
Adopting a persevering state of mind where you believe in what you are doing is crucial in achieving any goal. That resistance described above will show up time and again in all sorts of shapes and forms. Without perseverance and persistence to overcome them your goal will stay out of your reach. So find ways to believe in yourself and what you are doing. It is this belief that will empower you to withstand and overcome the tenacious resistance the world will likely throw at your feet if you are to achieve your goal(s).
4. Planning
The planning step is often missed in the process of goal setting. You get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan all of the steps that are required along the way. The often bumpy road to achieving your goals can be significantly smoothed by a well thought out plan. Break each goal into individual smaller, manageable steps that gradually move you in the direction of achieving the goal. When you write out each of the necessary steps and check each one off as it’s completed you will see the clear progress you’re making towards your goal. Setting yourself a realistic timeline is essential for long term success. Hint, if it took you a year to gain a stone in weight it will not be shed in a month if you want it to stay off. Develop strategies and resources that you can depend upon when the road gets a little rocky from all that resistance.
5. People
Surround yourself with a supportive crowd who can provide you with the extra boost that can get you over the finishing line. Lean on those of your family, friends and colleagues who are positive and raise you up. Those who will cheer you on from the side-line. Spend less time with those who sabotage your health goals, those who always have cake, biscuits and chocolate available when you’re around them; those who always say ’oh go on, just one more won’t hurt’; those who talk you out of participating in physical activity; the ones who can’t find it in their heart to say well done with each pound you lose. We all have both types of people in our lives, spend time with those who raise you up, not pull you down as this approach dramatically increases your chances of success.
6. Positivity
I don’t know about you but I often feel in a state of information overload. Information that mostly contains a never ending stream of negativity from the evening news, newspapers, unproductive gossip and social media. If I allowed myself, this could weigh me down and skew my view away from all of the good there is in the world that never seems to hit the headlines in the same ratio as the bad news. Finding a deliberate sustained positive mental attitude is the smoothest path to reaching your goals when the going gets tough. Embracing the path to your goals as an opportunity for growth or a great new exciting adventure will significantly improve your chances of success. State your goals in positive terms, focusing on what you want rather than what you don’t want. For example, instead of saying I am 4 stones overweight and need to get that off in 6 months, say I will weigh 11 stones in 6 months’ time by becoming 1 – 2lbs lighter every week. By stating your goals in positive terms you take your focus off what you don’t want and onto what you DO want. Remember what you focus on, gets magnified.
If you think this article may be useful to someone else please do feel free to share it with them. And maybe come over and join the conversation in The Steps To Health Facebook Group, you’ll be most welcome.
I do hope that this has been useful for you. Do you recognise any of these aspects that you get stuck around that are holding you back from achieving your goals. Please do share in the comments below. I always love to hear from you.
Yours, in joyful health
Jennifer x