Goal Setting

I've been reading a lot recently about goal setting - and this is not linked to the fact that we've just had a new year and traditionally folks make (and then break) resolutions.

There are a few things I've been wanting to achieve and I've decided the best way to go about this is to set myself goals. I've never really been into this aspect of life and if anything actively avoid it. However, I have finally accepted that my active avoidance has converted itself into helping me not achieve things I've wanted to do - and this has been backed up by numeroud articles and books I have been reading.

So today, I started my first goals list and this one specifically is to do with weight loss or more accurately restoring my health and my body shape to something more closely resembling what it was when I was in my early 20's.

The main things I've learnt about goal setting are:

1. Write then down
2. Make them current tense even though you haven't achieved it *
3. Read them at least once a day if prefereably twice**
4. Split the goals up into daily, weekly, 3 month, yearly and long term***
5. Constant update and adaption
   

* Apparantly this is one of those things that causes your subconcious mind to reprogram itself from interpreting negative comments even though you may be stating positive ones. If you state "I am happy I am now 180lbs in weight and look fabulous" is far better than saying "I want to be 180lbs and look better" - the mind then can create this mental picture that sees itself as you want to be and not as you are.

** It takes 21 days to change a habit I'm told, so constant repetition of the positive goal(s) is the one to aim for

*** Look at it this way - if you just had a long term goal of weight loss then you can easily put it off for another day or two ... or three and, well you get the picture. By having daily goals you pick immediate and easy things you can do such as "I have reduced my intake of sugar".

The weekly goals are similar but would contain stuff that isn't a daily aspect such as exercising for example and you might phrase this such as "I am happt to have achieved 3 x 20m cardio sessions this week"

Monthly goals would include "I have lost 1lb in weight" or "I have dropped an inch from my waist"

The big one, I've read, is the 3 month goal as this is near enough that the mind and body needs to react now but far enough away as to make objectives achievable. Here you could list stuff such as (keeping to the weight loss theme) "I am ecstatic to have lost 14lbs" or whatever you pick as your target(s).

There, enough to get you started at least I guess and as for me - well I can already tick several of my boxes including rduction in sugar; starting cardio workouts (only acheived 10mins but it's a start) and have read my goals twice today.