The Box it Out Pledge program just wrapped up, where those who joined in pledged to reach a goal in 4 weeks, another in 8 weeks and another in 12. So what happened?
Those who didn’t reach their goals got into the mindset of “all in or all out” and fell off the wagon. And those who reached their goals? Well they are more motivated than ever and most importantly are feeling fantastic!!
Did I reach any of my three goals? Actually, no. There was one day in four weeks that I didn’t eat 3 fistfuls of vegetables. Hang on, that’s 27 great days out of 28. How is that not an achievement??
My 8 week pledge was to rehab my shoulders three times per week for 8 weeks. Again, one week I only rehabbed them twice. Still, that is 7.5 weeks of rehab that I wasn’t doing before. That’s a damn achievement to me! (And my physio puts his stamp of approval on it too!)
And my 12 week pledge was to deadlift 90kgs. I didn’t get 90kgs, but I’m currently lifting 70kgs, which is about x1.2 my bodyweight. Is that not an achievement either?? So 90kgs may have been a little crazy to reach in such a short space of time huh? Maybe a little ambitious? Sure. But I didn’t want to set easy goals. I set goals to challenge me.
What I did do, is work at each of these things. I worked at them, and I’m still doing so now. I don’t focus on three fistfuls or rehabbing 3 times a week, but I now have a habit where I include veggies in each meal and actually do my rehab now. And not just those goals, I’m not only deadlifting, but I’m lifting each and every single morning. I can’t believe I’d gone so long without the gym every day! Those overseas trips really throw you off hey?
So what about you? Do you set goals? Do you have vague goals? Where do you go from here? Are you doing ok? Do you need help? Look no further.
A lot of people on the internet talk a lot about having S M A R T goals, and tell us not to set vague goals like “I want to lose weight”, “I want to get in shape”, “I will eat healthy foods” and “I will drink more water”. Vague goals do not work because they are not specific. I know I used to set these goals every few weeks – and we know that everyone sets these goals every new years!
Let’s take the “I want to lose weight” goal and make it SMART:
Specific: The who, what, where, when, which and why of goals. Instead of “lose weight” it could be “I want to lose weight so I look good at my friend’s wedding in four months’ time”
Measurable: How much/how many? I’d like to lose 5kgs.
Achievable: Do I have 5kgs to lose? Maybe 3kgs is more realistic.
Relevant: Is this what I want? Am I willing to work for it?
Timely: Give your goal a timeline. Half a kilo per week is sustainable weight loss – 6 to 8 weeks.
You’ve just made a S M A R T goal… Great, now what? Well, you actually need to work on it!
So how would you actually achieve this goal? Answer: You need to make a habit!
Setting a goal to “lose weight” is not S M A R T (I agree), but it also doesn’t give you any direction.
Instead of lose weight, regardless of how much or when – it will only happen if you are consistent.
Science says that to create a habit, you need to do it consistently for 28days. Just 28 days. In the grand scheme of your whole life, what is 28 days? Not very much at all! So, let’s make this simple!
Example: I want to lose weight for my friend’s wedding in four months’ time.
Habits to implement: Workout every day, eat veggies with every meal & drink 2L of water every day.
Pick one and work on it. For 28 straight days. If it’s something you normally do three or four times a week already, maybe you only need two weeks? Or maybe this is something you really want to cement into your life and you need more time? I mean, have you ever been ‘the norm’.. No, you’re so much MORE than the norm, so forget the science and just keep working on it for as long as you need. And what does it matter if you don’t reach it on one day? You don’t need to be all in or all out, you just need to do what you can, with what you have, right now. Daily habits are what get us towards the life we desire.
Here are just a few things that make up the life I desire, and the corresponding habits:
Goals Habits
To nourish myself with healthy food, Eat 3 fistfuls of vegetables every day
To feel strong and confident with my body, Go to the gym every morning before work
To read more books Read every day
To show love towards my family Hug my brothers & parents every day
Then I chose one and worked at it. I have been working on feeling strong and confident with my body. My habit to do this is to go to the gym and lift heavy weights. I started my habit creation tracking four weeks ago. Three weeks ago I went three times. Two weeks ago, only twice. Last week every morning, and this week every morning. How do I achieve my goal? By keeping consistent. So now I will commit to not “breaking the chain”
Click here for your Habit Creation Checklist. It’s time to create your own goals, your own chain and achieve more.
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