ShareWhy you should NOT set a goal for the New Year
It’s New Years Day here in Sydney and I’m about to head to Bondi beach for a quick workout… Before I do, I want you to read this…
For the next few days your inbox will be riddled with emails about New Year’s Resolutions and setting goals for your “best year ever”, right? Now, I’m not demonizing goal setting my any means here, I am a huge fan of setting goals, making a plan and working towards your dreams.
However in 2016… something extremely weird happened to me…
Here’s the story:
Last year I made no New Year’s Resolutions…
I didn’t set any goals to get ripped or lose weight…
Yet 2016 was the biggest year of personal growth in my entire life.
And this happened…
You see, I’d tried (and failed) to get flat, toned belly for years and years.
Even after 10 years of studying from the Top Exercise Physiologists and coaching thousands of people to transform their body worldwide. No matter what I tried, eating less, working out more, I couldn’t figure out how to sculpt my own abs.
But last year I had a major breakthrough.
And it helped me get 6 pack abs and leaner than ever in 2016.
How?
I consistently made choices that aligned with my core values.
Simply… I made a choice to be healthy on a CONSISTENT basis.
That’s why I’ve been able to maintain my newfound leanness all year round without doing anything extreme or crazy.
I’ll explain more about this huge breakthrough in my mindset and my thinking in just a sec.
First… here’s a couple of reasons why goal setting can be a problem:
#1: It Can Set You Up for Failure
If you set the wrong goals, you’re doomed for failure before you even start. You end up failing over and over again… you feel bad and beat yourself up about it… and then it’s easy to get discouraged and give up.
Who likes feeling like a failure? Not me.
It doesn’t feel good.
#2: Exercise has no “end date”
Goals with deadlines have an end date – correct?
Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news…
But there is no “end date” for your health and fitness.
Exercise will be part of your lifestyle forever.
#3: The Stress!
It’s no secret body transformation can be stressful. You’re making a lot of changes – and if you’re new to exercise, learning the moves is challenging and takes time.
Think about what is important to you.
Is it your health?
If you’re reading this newsletter – I’m going to bet health is important to you.
And extreme stress is not good for you health and body.
So you’re probably wondering…
“KV if I don’t set a goal, what am I supposed to work towards?”
Here’s what I suggest you do:
(1) Set “Daily Themes”
With daily themes, you can throw out your to-do list and be present in the moment.
Here’s my current daily themes:
- Exercise and be active
- Be creative and write
- Coach and help my clients
- Eating healthy food to fuel my body
- Sleep well for 7-8 hours
- Read and learn something new
- Spend time with positive people whose company I enjoy
- Be grateful and present
Might seem like a long list, but it’s very simple and easy to maintain because I have passion for it. Plus…
I have a Daily Practice where I try to be 1% better than yesterday in 4 areas of my life:
- physical
- emotional
- spiritual
- mental
As you know, regular exercise is fundamental for improving your health.
(2) Get grounded and listen to your body
Taking a moment to stop and listen to your body is HUGE. This year I got to know my body really well.
If I’m craving something, I eat it. But I eat slowly, I enjoy it. And I only eat until I’m full.
This is key.
Be kind to your body.
Speak to yourself in a friendly tone, like you would to someone you love. All the positive self-talk works. It just takes practice.
(3) Connect with your WHY
Think about the reason WHY you’re setting the goal.. why do you want to lose the weight, make the money etc?
Take a moment to think about it.
Often times there are bigger underlying issues that driving you towards a certain outcome…
Here’s a question…
Do you actions align with your words?
That means, do you say you’re not going to eat XYZ then do the complete opposite? Skip your workouts all the time, even though you promised yourself you’d do it? Go out and binge drink, when you promised yourself you were going to detox?
If your actions and goals are not aligned with your values, your life won’t magically change by achieving the outcome.
That’s why so many people fail to achieve their goals.
Now like I said earlier, not all goal setting is a waste of time. You just need to set the right type of goals… ones that align with your values, that feel right…. Goals that with help you adopt the lifestyle habits that feel right to you.
And now if you really MUST set a goal… what type of goals should you set?
Process goals.
Take for example this goal:
“I want to lose XX pounds in the next 21 days”
Is it achievable?
Possibly. However this is an outcome goal. The wrong type of goal since you can’t control the outcome.
You can only control what you think, what you eat, and what you do.
That’s why it’s more important to make process goals. For example:
- do meal prep each Sunday for the week
- commit to working out at least 3-4x/week
Getting toned and lean doesn’t have to be miserable process!
It’s a journey of self growth.
There’s no need to rush…
Take your time.
See it as an opportunity to learn about your body.
If you want to improve your health and fitness and become the most awesome version of yourself in 2017, then you’ll want to check this out while you still can…
Check Out the Metabolic Fitness Challenge
Your Coach and Friend,
KV
