How to set meaningful, actionable and achievable goals?
“By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands—your own.”
We believe that you cannot be truly happy before you start living the life you really believe in. Doing the things that are important to you, going after the things that feel meaningful to you and saying no to things that are not allowing you to grow or that are no longer making you happy.
It is sometimes really hard to differentiate outside expectations from your own goals and priorities. You would think it was far more simple than that, but we are always influenced by the world and the people around us. So it is crucial that we sometimes really dig deep into ourselves and find the things that truly matter to us. Not the things we do for to please anybody else or things we do just for to polish our own egos, but the things that have a great importance for us.
Before you can achieve anything in life, you have to know what you want. You have to decide that whatever you’re doing is important to you, that it’s worth it. And if it isn’t, it’s time to set new, more meaningful goals.
When you set goals that you are really passioned about, that truly are of great importance to you, you will be far more likely to commit to them!
Exercise and healthy diet should not only be seen as a way to keep ourselves in good physical condition, the impacts are much more powerful than that!
Regular exercise and a healthy, well balanced diet tend to have a positive effect on every area of a person's life. Exercise helps us feel better emotionally, function more efficiently in our daily activities, improve our ability to deal with stress and think more clearly. Exercise boosts the release of "feel-good" brain chemicals such as endorphins and serotonin. When we get that natural "mood boost" from exercise, we tend to make better food choices and can resist temptations of indulging on sugary foods or alcohol in an attempt to feel better.
If there is a magic pill, then it must be exercise because it really seems to have a positive effect on every area of a person's life.
Good physical health allows us to live the life we believe in
What are the most common reasons for us to cut corners in our daily lives? Stress, tiredness, brain fog, depression.
We would like to do better job at recycling our waste, consume less meat, do some charity work, spend more time with our family, meet our friends more often....whatever things you have constantly in the back of your head reminding you of the things that would be important to you, but things that get over written by the viscous cycle of stress, sleepless nights, junk food, quick energy/mood boost (sugar, coffee, alcohol) needless to go any further than that. You can probably see the never ending story there, which only ends once we decide to put a stop on it.
Stop, re-prioritize, re-focus
First we need to put a little pause on everything in order for us to be able to think more clearly. Secondly we need to list down the things that truly matter to us, not just in words, in actions. Then we need to get rid of the things we are doing "just because..." to free up some headspace, time and energy towards the more important things.
"Do I need to get my nails done every week if it means missing out on some family time we already have too little?"
"Do I show up to every possible party, because I enjoy them or because I think that's what's expected of me? Is it really necessary based on what I just answered in the previous question when it means I have less energy towards doing the things that really matter to me? "
Setting actionable and realistic goals allows us to focus on the things that are truly important to us and also allows us to achieve things
What is the most common goal people have for exercise (besides good looks and the beach body ;) ) ?
It is to stay in good health.
And that is a good goal that everybody should have....in a broader sense. But that's not an actionable goal, nor an achievable goal. When have you reached that goal? How do you measure it?
A goal needs to be something that makes you excited, is actionable = you can make a plan how to reach it and needs to be measurable = you need to know when you have reached it.
Setting specific goals for exercise allows you to achieve things. Achieving things keeps your motivation level up. Loosing motivation or dropping off from regular exercise routine are threats to your health and well beeing. So if staying in good health is your ultimate goal, then you set goals so that you can ensure the longevity of your active lifestyle.
Setting goals shouldn't be just about exercise
Setting goals that help you with keeping up good health also help you in achieving your other goals in life. Writing those down too will help you in keeping your focus.
You want to spend more family time, awesome! Then let's make it an actionable and a measurable goal:
"I will not work on Saturday's, that will be dedicated fully to my family. I will commit to this goal for the next 6 months and see how I did."
You want to lessen the amount of waste you are producing, awesome! Then let's make in an actionable and a measurable goal:
" I will no longer drink take away coffees, I will only buy take aways from places that allow me to have it on my own mug. I will commit to this goal for the next 6 months and every time I fail to keep it, adds another month"
And then....how do you reward yourself for job well done?