If you haven’t noticed already from previous posts, I make a pretty big deal out of goal setting and taking action towards the things that I see value in. Seeing that we are 2 weeks into 2020, I’m sure the New Year’s resolutions are in full swing. I think it’s great that resolutions are made at the beginning of the year, but right now I want to take a minute to emphasize why resolutions aren’t the best choice for habit change and why goal setting is a better use of your energy.
What is a resolution?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a resolution is a firm decision to do or not do something.
A resolution is a statement of something, a decision. A decision doesn’t exactly mean action. A majority of the time, when someone sets a resolution, they last for about 2 weeks and don’t see the immediate results that they expect which leads to failure.
Let’s take an example that is personal to me. When I started my prep for my 1st bodybuilding competition I had wanted to blog every week. I had never done anything even close to blogging, I was kind of timid/embarrassed to be posting about my life, and trying to keep up with it when it wasn’t even close to being a top priority was silly of me. I was impatient and kind of gave up.
Why Resolutions Fail
- Failure to plan. A decision to do something does not instantly create a plan of action and steps to execute it.
- It’s overwhelming to just pick up a new habit or quit something cold turkey.
- Too vague…like, “I want to post a blog every week.”
- Okay…how do I define my blog? What are my standards for posting? What day do I want to post on? The list goes on.
- It’s not made a priority.
- If it’s not in your top 5, it’s not going to happen
- You know the what, but you don’t know the WHY
- Without a reason, there is no direction or motivation behind it to facilitate an action
Why Goal Setting Works
- Provides focus & direction towards what you want to achieve
- Goals are measurable! You can break them down into steps that are actionable and achievable. (SMART goals is a good option or Fear Setting — check out the links below for more information)
- Goals are great for decision making
- Ask yourself, “Will doing X put me closer to achieving my goal of Y?”
- Create tasks that align with your goals
- Goals provide perspective. They demonstrate what priorities and values we hold, and where we want to be in the future.
- They provide feedback to what works well and what doesn’t, which allows us to adjust our plan of action accordingly
- They create a challenge = motivation, learning, and growth mindset
It’s never too late to set a goal or start a new one. Don’t wait until tomorrow or Monday or the start of the next month. If it is important to you, DO IT NOW.
Tools that I Use for Goal Setting
- Define a theme or focus.
- Break it down by areas of your life — personal, career, financial, relationships/connections, health/fitness, etc.
- Write everything down. Every day, week, and month I take time to sit down and write out my goals and intentions. The daily goals may be minor things that I need to get done or they could be an activity that will feed into my larger end goal. Weekly and monthly goals are pushing me towards the end goal.
- At the end of the week or month and quarter, I REVIEW. This is bigger than most people think, but how are you supposed to know/see if you’re progressing if you don’t reflect on where you started and where you are now?
- Adjust your goals as you see necessary. You may find that you need to put 1 or 2 on hold so you can focus on another that is of higher importance at the time.
Make it work for you.
My Defined Goals for 2020
I’ve broken my goals and intentions down into segments that include: Personal. Business. Health/Fitness.
I’ve also chosen the focus for this year to be GROWTH.
I don’t like sitting in one place for too long. In the past, I feel like I did exactly that in areas of my life and it’s something that I’ve been working hard to get away from. I do not want to look back in 5 or 10 years and see myself standing in the same place mentally, physically, financially, etc. that I am in right now.
I always want to be moving, growing, learning and evolving to what is put in front of me.
Personal
- TRAVEL
- Brother + Family in February (Lake Placid)
- Arnold Classic in March (Ohio)
- Pennsylvania…trying to decide between the Street Parking Meet Up OR Nicole Wilkins Camp
- New England Bucket List
- I’ve been a New Englander my entire life. Having grown up on the western side of MA and not doing much for vacations, I realize that I have not truly explored the beautiful area of where I have spent my 23 years. Formulating a list of New England tourist-y things and going to start checking them off!
- I’ve been a New Englander my entire life. Having grown up on the western side of MA and not doing much for vacations, I realize that I have not truly explored the beautiful area of where I have spent my 23 years. Formulating a list of New England tourist-y things and going to start checking them off!
- Say yes to more things for myself; the things that will make me happy, that will move me in the direction I want to go, etc. & say no to what does not serve me or benefit me in the way that I desire, and have ZERO guilt over it
- Relationships — be open, loving, caring, honest, communicate and understand…family, friends, significant other, clients, etc.
- Make connections with those who are important to me, don’t let them fall through the cracks of life
- BUY A HOUSE – this is HUGE and quite scary but I am so excited!
- Mental
- I want to learn and explore because this will allow me to be a better human, build great relationships, understand a little deeper, and allow me to be the best coach, friend, and partner to those in my life.
Business
- I have an income goal that I’d like to hit for 2020…
- Grow MariahLyn Fitness
- Teach an introduction course to nutrition (this is actually happening in May!!)
- Increase social media presence…I hate this which is probably why I’ve been dragging my feet on it so much, but it’s a necessary evil when it comes to business and getting your name out there.
- Been building up a content calendar for the next 2-3 months…baby steps
- Build up to 10 clients online (currently have 5), 13-15 sessions/week in-person (currently have 10/week)
- Go to seminars
- Just booked my flight out to the Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH for March! (Happy Birthday to Me!)
- Attending a Perform Better seminar at the end of March in Boston, MA
- Take a business or marketing class…looking through Udemy and CreativeLive for this!
Health/Fitness
- Become more in-tune with my body! — I’m currently doing Whole30 and reading The Anti-Anxiety Diet by Ali Miller…giving me a LOT of insight into the body and encouraging me to fuel my body in the most natural way possible…bye bye processed foods!
- Research! – varying diets, training styles, etc.
- It’s always good to switch routines up!
- I want to learn more about
- the Thyroid + how it affects women
- Vegetarian and vegan diets — how to properly meal plan for clients who choose this style
- Keto + Carnivore diets (same reason as above)
- Sugar + it’s affects on disease
- Diabetes, cancers, depression/anxiety, IBS, joint issues, etc.
- Check out new gyms!
- Hard Nocks – Amesbury, MA
- Fitness Zone – Gloucester, MA
- MetroFlex – Boston, MA
- Hampstead Health + Fitness – Hampstead, NH
- The Zone – Hampstead, NH
What are your Goals for 2020?
What is on your “Do It Now” list? What’s a priority to you? Write your goals down, in ink. Set your sights and get after it!
I just finished reading your brain…yes, *your brain* and what you wrote and shared challenge me greatly Mariah. As I read this, I want to learn from you how to dream – just as you dream (You have big plans for yourself and you are making them happen!!) Dissect my myself the way you do and not be afraid of what I’ll see – then do the hard work *of making a plan*, setting the goals, SSI, review & adjust… for those of us who have never been able to dream, like me, it is so foreign, and paralyzing, but when reading this, I get CAN DO encouragement & hope that it NEVER too late to have a life of intention, purpose and joy. Just fearlessly map it out! Shoot the curl! My 2020 theme goal is DREAM…
Great post Mariah