Goalsetting - 4 Steps to Becoming Better

Goalsetting can be tricky.  I’ve spent the last 24 years helping people design and execute plans to better themselves. Through the years, I’ve discovered some common ground on where people tend to fall short.  I’d like to shed some light on where you might be going wrong in this process, which ultimately leads to another year of failed attempts at improvement.

1. Goals Need to be Important

When you decide to make a change, you must have an important reason for making this change. Without an important reason, it’s too easy to quit at the first signs of adversity. The personal benefits of goalsetting must outweigh any obstacles you may run into along the way. When your goal has personal meaning, then you’ll figure out a way around any obstacle to continue executing your plan. Taking time to identify the WHY may be the single most important thing that you do.

2. Goals Need to be Specific and Challenging

Imagine if someone gave you a bow or rifle, pointed at a 6’x6’ block, and said, “Shoot it.”  Now imagine that same scenario, only this time there is a one-inch orange dot in the middle of that block and your goal was to hit the dot. The first request may leave you feeling a little confused, unfocused, and unchallenged. However, having to focus on a one-inch dot on that target will require you to focus on the entire shooting process in order to accomplish it. Make sure your goals are specific and challenging enough that it requires you to focus on the target.

When you reach your goal, you want to know without a doubt that you accomplished what you set out to do. This means attaching a value to your goal that is easily identifiable. A specific weight, distance, or time are the most common ways to identify successes and will help you keep your focus on the dot.

3. Set Landmarks

Once you have your destination set out in front of you, spend some time laying out a road map to your destination. Much like making a trek into the backcountry, you need to layout benchmarks along the way that will keep you heading in the right direction. These landmarks are there to assure you that you’re on the right path and should motivate you to conquer the next one. Reaching your goal is an accumulation of putting together a daily plan to conquer these landmarks until you have arrived at your destination.

4. Make the Daily Plan the Most Important Piece of the Puzzle

Your day-to-day dedication must be unwavering. Every day that you execute your training plan, stick to your nutrition plan, hydrate, and recover, you will win the day. To reach your goal, you must win today, tomorrow, and the next day, which requires a daily plan.  It seems simple, but if you win enough days, you’ll reach your first landmark.

Once you conquer your first landmark, you’ll be motivated to conquer the next. Conquer enough landmarks and you’ll reach your goal. But first, you must win today!

If you’d like some help with goalsetting, planning, and executing, be sure to check us out at traintohunt.com or email us at info@traintohunt.com.

By Kenton Clairmont