If there are goals you’ve set for yourself in fitness or in any other area of your life but have struggled to reach them, chances are good that you have subconscious or “hidden goals” that are getting in the way of your success. There’s only one way to overcome this challenge: get super clear on what you want and need to achieve through the process of goal setting.
Uncovering Hidden Goals
Our lives are multifaceted. On any given day, we might be engaging with people we love, putting in our full effort at the office, working out, balancing the budget… the list goes on. It’s likely that the vision you have for your future goes well beyond the basic New Year’s Resolution of “finally getting back into shape,” so why doesn’t your goal setting process represent that? There are actually 6 main areas of life that you should explore when setting your goals.
- Health and Fitness – Examples include losing weight, reducing your cholesterol, building your endurance to run a race, etc.
- Relationships – This includes how you feel toward and interact with your family, friends, and other loved ones.
- Career – Anything related to your job or occupation is in this category.
- Financial – Related to how much money you have, how you manage it, and how you spend it.
- Spiritual/Religious – For most people, this will include anything related to religion or spiritual practice, but it can also be a space to explore your values, your emotions, and your mindset.
- Location/Lifestyle – To put it simply, this is where you live, the places you travel to, or the kind of lifestyle you live.
Our recommendation: Write down one to two goals for each of these areas.
We guarantee that you already have at least one for each area, even if you think otherwise. If you’re in doubt, read on.
Competing Goals
James Clear said “One of the greatest barriers to achieving your goals is the other goals you have.” Imagine this situation: A mother instinctively feels that it is her duty and desire to love and care for her children. To that end, she gives them all of her free time. She shifted her work schedule so that she has more time to attend to their needs. This mom wants to lose weight and start working out so she can feel stronger, but cooking, cleaning, driving the kids to and from school and activities, and her odd work hours make it impossible to find a time to go to the gym. So, what are her competing goals?
- Love and Care for my children
- Lose weight and get stronger
We’re not saying that this mother should get rid of her first goal to attend to the second, but rather that she may not be aware of how the two effect one another. By getting clear on the fact that she has the first goal, this mom can begin searching for ways to achieve her weight loss and strength goals without sacrificing her role as a mom.
Other Examples
Whether you’re a mom or not, you probably know what it’s like to have competing goals. Here are just a few examples:
- Work versus time with your significant other
- Sticking to your budget verses buying those discounted tickets you found to the islands
- Going out for cocktails every night with friends versus sticking to your nutrition plan so you can lose those last five pounds.
What’s the Solution? Make a hard distinction between your priorities and your goals.
There’s a good chance that drinking your calories or creating distance between you and your partner aren’t priorities, but rather, the fallout of more ambitious goals, such as strengthening your friendships and climbing the career ladder. There’s a good chance that there are better ways to achieve those goals, ways that don’t conflict with other areas of your life. How do you uncover those solutions?
Brainstorm Other Ways to Make It Work
When we have resolutions, most of us jump into action before we really take the time to consider the impact they can have on our lives. There’s more than one way to achieve any given goal. You can find them if you take the time to…
- Research alternative solutions. You have access to a world of information at your fingertips. A simple Google search will give you hundreds upon thousands of results. Write down as many as you can so that you have a pool of tricks to draw from.
- Focus on one new goal at a time. If you’re ambitious, your attention may be pulled in multiple directions. But if you really want to get good at something, you need to allot the proper amount of time and energy. Choose a goal that will most positively effect your life (i.e., if mom starts working out, she’ll feel stronger, more energized, and more confident).
- Constantly ask “How can I make this work with my current priorities?” This may seem like a no-brainer, but asking yourself this question will help you come up with a plan to achieve your goals that doesn’t conflict with other areas of your life.
- Hire a coach. Think of a coach as an expert in the goal you want to achieve. He or she is someone who has devoted their life to helping you transform yours. Allowing one to guide you will save you loads of time and energy that you can put into other areas of your life.
Here at Method3 Fitness, we specialize in helping you improve the way you move, eat, and think, so you can live stronger for today. So if your goal is fitness-related, come in and have a chat with one of our expert coaches. It could very well transform every aspect of your life, from how you feel when you look in the mirror to how long you live and how happy you are in life. Don’t put it off. You deserve your best. Click here to schedule a complimentary goal strategy session!
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The Method3 Fitness blog is updated weekly. All content is designed to improve the way you move, eat, and think so you can achieve your goals and live stronger for today. Check back here each week and LIKE our Fan Page, to stay up to date on the latest tips, strategies and methods to get fit, lose fat, and build confidence.