“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”
(Michelangelo)
We’re a couple of weeks into the new year, so it’s still the season to state and set a physical goal for yourself for 2017, if you haven’t already. Participation in goal setting and tracking how your intentions play out is a great learning exercise. Having a physical fitness goal, large or small, can yield many benefits. So, if you’re on board but unsure how to start, read on and I’ll give you some help to choose and set the right fitness goal for you.
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Okay, so first of all, use a framework to give yourself guidance and assist in measuring your progress. Understand that where you start is the ground. This is where you currently are, and reflects your history and situation. The next part of the framework to think about are the resources. These are the things you will need to accomplish the goal – for example: time, money, access to certain equipment…
The next part is the recipe. Simply put, it’s the “how to” of goal setting – the way in which you’re going to bring the resources together.
The final piece of the framework is the aim. Getting clear on this, actually defining and stating it, will help you to really set a strong, focused goal.
[ground —> resources —> recipe —> aim]
If fitness goals seem hard to achieve once you get going, it could be due to time not being spent in the resources section. Some people fail to remember the time, patience, and dedication it takes.
If you have some challenge deciding on the recipe for the fitness goal, I have a trick you can use: Try to remember another goal you set that showed signs of coming true and you executed on. Now think of the pieces required in that recipe, and think back to the EXACT characteristics that made that goal attainable due to those characteristics. We have all overcome many things in life, and we need reminders of how we did it. As an example, think of that time you did really well on a hard test, what went into that? Study time, proper course materials (text book, class notes), etc were the resources required to achieve that good grade. These previous positive characteristics can be applied to the recipe and prescription once you have the resources lined up.
The axis of ground to aim is called the motivational axis. Getting caught here all the time will pull you away from the process of executing on the resources and recipe needed for the goal. That is, focusing all the time on the goal is not a best practice. Instead, spend time on the resources to recipe area – the operational axis. This will give you a far better chance of success.
This process-driven approach works because it keeps you fine tuned on the aim, as you see it often, but also keeps the focus on the process. Sometimes having a fitness goal can seem daunting. In many cases the plan is not laid out to help people organize their thoughts and make it a process driven approach. This area of ground to aim thinking can get you towards the fitness goals you wish to achieve.
Good luck.
To the AIM!
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