I’ve been training for 4 and a half years and every conversation with a new client started with this: “What are your goals?” They would then say things like “I want to lose 30-pounds,” or “I want to tone up.” While these are great reasons to get in the gym and start eating healthier, I realize now that I was missing the point. We all have goals all the time. The most common ones I hear of are below:
- Lose weight, lower blood pressure, A1C, etc…
- Save more money, become more financially independent
- Go to school (or complete the program of study)
- Get a promotion
- Read more+watch less television
While these are all great goals with a myriad of personal benefits, we’ve all been missing not the how (which is easy to pin down and describe), but the WHY. That aspect of the goal is what drives you. If you don’t have a reason greater than just yourself, chances are pretty good that you won’t follow through. The what and how are the easy parts. The why opens you up and makes you vulnerable. Take the two examples:
- I want to finish my degree and get a good paying job.
- I want to finish my degree and get a good paying job so that I can take care of my family and do better than my parents were able to.
While the goals are the exact same for each, example number two dives into the emotional component and makes the individual vulnerable. This is why so many people never make it to this point in the goal-setting process, but it’s absolutely critical. Even if it’s just to prove the naysayers wrong, your why is the important and missing link in your quest for greatness. I challenge you to start thinking critically about your goals and dive deeper into WHY you want to accomplish those goals. I suspect that not only will you be more successful, it’ll help you sharpen your focus on the goals that really matter by adding substance to them.
To your lifelong health and success,
– Coach D.
