Goal Setting and Remembering Your "WHY"
- BINDZONE
- Apr 3, 2024
- 4 min read
Goal setting is so important in order to create a vision for your future self. These goals are going to create inconsistency, in order to create a new consistency. This inconsistency is going to be uncomfortable in the beginning - you may not feel good at these new habits, and you may miss your old habits. This is where remembering your "why" will come into play. WHY are you creating inconsistency? What is it you're wanting to achieve? Are your new habits helping you reach this goal - whether it be one in the short or long-term?
Remembering your "why" will help you create a sense of purpose, allow you to see what matters, and will encourage you to keep working towards your goal. For some, staying in check with these new habits and your "why" may be easy, while for others it may be hard. Start with smaller steps in order to reach the bigger steps. You can't reach the top without creating the building blocks to get there. So, how disciplined and determined are you to achieve this goal, and what can you do now in order to help you reach it? What's your first step?
Whether your goal is to go back to school, start exercising, obtaining your dream career. etc. - you are going to need to create inconsistency in your current routine in order to make a new consistent routine that aligns with your desires.
You might be wondering, "well, how do I know where to start?". Let's break it down into small steps using a GSPA (goals, skills, practice, action) framework.
G: Set a goal
Where do you want to end up, and in what time period?
EXAMPLE: Let's say your goal is to feel comfortable exercising at a gym in a month, at a consistent 3 days per week
S: Brainstorm different skills that'll be needed
What skills need to be acquired to achieve your goal?
Think: time management, planning and preparation, repetition, etc.
EXAMPLE: To begin exercising, you'll need to fit it into your day and build a routine, which requires time management and planning/preparation
P: Ways to practice in order to succeed
What needs to be done in order to acquire the skills needed for your goal?
EXAMPLE: Plan out your day. Are you going to prepare to workout in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Could you set a timer to remind you to get up and move, whether it be for a walk or a strength routine? Could you look up how to use different machines at the gym so you feel more comfortable once you begin going? Could you practice your routine and try perfecting form at home, so you don't feel lost when you begin to go?
A: Take action
What tasks do you need to do daily, and how can you make these actions a habit?
Start small, as you don't want to feel overwhelmed. These actions shouldn't feel like a huge responsibility.
EXAMPLE: Two weeks into setting your goal, you are finally exercising consistently 3x per week, and you're comfortable with your routine. You've decided to invest in weights to use at home, and start going to the gym 1x per week to get used to the facility, while still working out at home 2x per week because you don't feel 100% ready yet. You have also hired a personal trainer to work with on the day you go to the gym. On the third week of setting your goal, you decide to go to the gym 2x per week, and still workout at home for one of the days. Four weeks after setting your goal, you're finally working out at the gym 3x per week - one day with a trainer, and two days on your own. You have even decided to add a 4th day of exercise to your routine so you can still do a home workout, too. You've achieved your goal, and have even added in an extra day of movement.
Your future self will end up thriving off of this inconsistency, and you will eventually become more comfortable with these new habits. You will begin to realize that you needed to go through that period of discomfort and change in order to reach your goal. Your future self will appreciate all of the things your past self had to go through in order to achieve the vision you've set for yourself.
These "new" habits will end up being your regular, normal life at some point. You'll learn how to say goodbye to habits that were no longer adding any benefit to your life. You'll end up adapting to the energy (mental, emotional, and/or physical) demands that these new habits require, and it'll end up feeling automatic. In the beginning, you may dread having to do these new skills and actions, but I promise you, if you remember your why - your reason for doing these things - then it'll become a natural habit. Eventually, you'll start to see results and progress, and you'll look forward to doing these things. Most things in life don't come easy to us, and reaching a goal is one of those things. It takes hard work, dedication, consistency, and discipline.
So, the big takeaway: set a goal, and remember your why. Go through the discomfort. Go through the highs and lows. Go through the failures and successes. Figure out what does and doesn't work. Don't be discouraged by setbacks. Keep your eye on the prize and you will end up building the life you've always wanted for yourself. It may take months, it may take years - don't let the amount of time it takes discourage you.
We are all on our own path, and there is no right or wrong length of time to achieve something!
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