And here we are… February. The weather is cold and unrelenting. The Super bowl has come and gone. January and the promise of a new year has long faded from memory…You are knee deep in the GRIND!
Let me stop you right there
My role as a coach is to not only challenge you, but to de-mystify what it takes to be successful in the world of fitness as well as the big game they call life.
One of the most important skills I have discovered is the discipline of goal setting.
But goals are worthless if you do not review them…
Time stamping and reviewing your goals is what brings them to life and makes them accomplishable. The steady review of our goals is the most neglected step in the discipline of goal setting.
This is not an easy habit to develop, so let me share with you my strategy for goal setting and review. I hope you can adapt a similar process and work to make it stick.
- The process for creating my 2021 goals began in November of 2020. This is when I take my first stab at what I want to accomplish, need to accomplish and what I strive to accomplish. I throw it all down in a rough draft and then step away for a few weeks.
- Mid December I come back to my pile of goals, then break them down into categories: Personal, Smart Strength/ business, Personal financial. Organizing my list makes it easier for me to organize my thoughts on each goal. After you have created your categories and placed each goal in the correct bin, take a break.
- I take my categories and work through each goal, making them SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time bound). Now that a goal is in its proper category and is SMART, I know what my time frame is for each goal, and I can start to plot out a way to accomplish each goal, either in my head or in my planner.
- I imagine many people have attempted or even perfected steps 1-3…. But here is the most important step, the one that binds it all together and completes the feedback loop. Review!! I make a note in my planner at the end of each month to sit down and go through my goals list, for each category and score my progress. By keeping my goals and progress fresh in my mind, I find that I am inclined to work daily to accomplish my goals, even if I did not purposely set out to do so.
- It is important to remember that your goals you set just 6 weeks ago are only worth something if you continue to work for them. Goals are living documents that need to be updated, and even revised periodically. You can set your review timeframes as you see fit, but keep in mind it needs to be often enough to evaluate progress, and make corrections if you have fallen behind.
Goals Process
1st edition/ 2021 goals —> Organize/categorize —> SMART goals <———> Review/ Update
This process is more important than ever. February is when most people will abandon their goals for the rest of the year. This is a sensitive and critical point in your journey to success and creating a habit. Carve out some time and make your goals review a priority!
You will not regret the time you spend on yourself and reviewing goals.
Something magical happens when we develop strong goals, bind them to paper, print them off and stick them on our wall, and then schedule time at the end of each month to re assess and evaluate our process towards accomplishing our goals….
They just might come true!
If you are interested in more topics like this, please visit www.smartstrengthprogram.com
Check out the blog or schedule your free assessment today...spoiler alert, we spend a lot of time talking about your goals!!
Your Trainer,
Alex
