Make Your Goals Stick
by Brad Spangler
If you have ever been a member at a local health club or gym around the first of the year, then you know firsthand how busy it can get with hopeful new members. In the fitness industry, we often referred to these crowds of people as the “New years resolution bunch.” For those of us who were regulars, we knew that waiting for equipment and machines to free up would be the new normal over the next couple of months, but by the time mid-March rolled around, the gym would be back to normal. I have to admit that in my younger days, I would look at the influx of these crowds and think to myself, “I hope these people don’t stick around too long.” Fast forward to the present day, my thinking has changed. I look at the crowds, and I genuinely want these people to succeed. It’s with this motivation that I decided to write this article. I wanted to give you three ways to make your goals stick in 2023. These insights will not only apply to fitness goals but can also be used to accomplish any goal that you may have for yourself this year.
1. Your goals have to be your goals.
You may be thinking to yourself that this statement is overly simplistic. Still, you would be surprised how many people set goals for themselves based upon outside pressure from society, family, or even friends. I remember a client I once worked with who wanted to lose a significant amount of weight. Not surprisingly, this client saw excellent results at the beginning of our sessions together. Slowly over time, though, the results began to plateau. I noticed that when this person was with me, they would get re-fired and recommitted to accomplishing their goals, but when they were alone, their overall habits and lifestyle did not change. It was only towards the end of our time together that this person finally opened up about the pressure they had received from certain family members about joining a gym. The truth is, no matter how good something may be for us, if you and I do not take psychological ownership of what we say we want, we will not consistently put in the effort necessary to accomplish our goals.
2. Your goals must be specific and measurable.
One of the questions that I would ask my clients when we first started working together was, “Why did you join the gym?” Without a doubt, the most common response I heard was, “I just want to be healthy.” I would then respond, “That’s great, now, “What does healthy mean to you? Can you be more specific?” You see, just wanting to be healthy is too generic. How will you know when you get there? Is it when you lose 20lbs? When you get off your blood pressure medication? When you can go up and down the stairs without huffing and puffing? I am a very growth-conscious person, meaning I’m all about the process and who you become on the way to your goals, but I think goals are also important because it sets a general direction for our habits. It’s only when we have specific goals in mind, that we can begin to reverse engineer those goals by setting up daily, weekly, or even monthly habits which lead us towards our desired future.
3. Your goals must tie into a more significant purpose.
To keep you going during the tough times, your goals need to be tied into a purpose that’s bigger than you. For most of us, we will only sacrifice so much to benefit ourselves. But tell a dad that in order to walk his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day, he needs to lower his cholesterol by losing 30lbs, and you just gave him the fuel he needs to endure any hardship that may come his way. When we tie our goals into a more significant purpose, it gives us a deep sense of meaning. We realize that the journey of transformation we are on is worth the pain and discomfort we will experience. Feelings of excitement will come and go during your journey, but discipline will remain when your purpose and vision are clear. I encourage you to reflect on your goals for the year. Are they “really” your goals? Are they specific and measurable? Are they tied into a bigger purpose? If so, you are on the right track to reach your goals in 2023.