6 tips for successful goal setting
2018 is here and as cliché as it may be, it's a great time of year to re-evaluate what you'd like to focus on and set yourself some new challenges. But as many of us find, we start out with good intentions but then life gets in the way and priorities tend to shift in favour of old habits.
Setting goals and then achieving those goals can be hugely motivating and rewarding so here are some top tips to make sure this year those goals are smashed
1.Brain Dump
Grab a piece of paper and empty your thoughts. If you had no boundaries - what would make you happy? What would improve your life? What challenges would you like to conquer? Think short/medium and long-term and even if they seem far-fetched, write them down anyway! It's a great exercise to visualise your thoughts and you can then start to see patterns or categories that you can start to delve into more detail.
2. Why?
Once you've started to narrow your list down, ask yourself 'why' you want to achieve that goal or goals. Imagine you are explaining the goal to someone and it will help you to realise the motivation behind it. To really make a change to our daily lives we need to be passionate about what we're doing. If you're only setting a goal because you think you 'should' you are far less likely to commit to it.
3. SMART
It's easy to make a huge list of goals but in reality, we need to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Bound
For example, your goal could be to improve your flexibility:
Specific - This goal is a little vague, define what the start and end point are.
Measurable- How will you determine success? What are the parameters?
Attainable - Success is hugely motivating. Setting smaller, yet still challenging goals will keep your motivation up rather than feeling unsatisfied or at the other end of the scale - overwhelmed
Relevant - You have to enjoy the process and work towards goals that will move you forwards.
Time-Bound - One of the most important steps is to give yourself a time-frame. If it's a long goal - then give outlines of what should be achieved at the half-way point for example as a way to keep you accountable.
So putting our goal of improved flexibility through the 'SMART' system you could re-write it like this: Achieve a flat front split by June 2018 ready for a photoshoot in July.
This gives a clear end goal and a reason why as a reminder. Could can then measure your starting point and get advice from an instructor as to whether the time-frame is realistic based on how many sessions you can do within that time.
4. How?
Now you have your goal - how are you going to achieve it? What is your action plan? Again be specific and clear about how and when you will do things and how it will fit into your lifestyle. Making too many changes too quickly can be overwhelming - remember it has to be sustainable to ensure real change and success.
This could be anything from keeping a food diary, signing up for a new class or setting your alarm half an hour earlier to fit in a new daily meditation practice.
5. Accountability
Telling friends and family is a big motivator and can keep you going when the going gets tough or even just a little repetitive! Sending weekly updates to someone, or having a training buddy can really help to keep you moving forward. Some people like to declare it publicly or have an event like a photo shoot or competition to be the nudge they need to complete the goal. Try a few different options to cover all the bases. And remember, if your 'why' is strong, it will be easier to stay on track.
6. We're human
This last point is to remember that things can change. The goal-setting process is not perfect and you may overlook factors that can affect the outcome. In this case - don't get disheartened as you've already moved closer towards your goal, even if you don't reach it within your time-frame. In this case - you can change it to a SMARTER goal - adding Evaluate and Re-do to the list
Some added things to think about:
Make your goal positive - so instead of 'I won't.....' always frame it in positive language
Good luck with your goal setting! And from everyone at OTP - HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Sarah
XO
