Setting up goals is very important to assure you have something to aim for. Having a time limit on them is also important so you can focus your effort and not waste time. I have learned to set goals and work for them. Usually my whole day is scheduled based on my goals, and usually all my goals are achieved on time, more or less. This saves me time, fulfills my life and gives me freedom to do what I love to do. Nevertheless, things don’t always go according to plan. I planned and set a goal to open our second Custom Body Fitness location by January, and it’s already May, and I have not been able to open it.
The problem started with not finding the right contractor to build a restroom. That was exacerbated by city requirements, and now the problem is a misunderstanding of what the city needs. Anyway, almost 5 months have passed since we were supposed to be open. I made the mistake of running a promotion before it was open. I have lots of people signed up and ready to go, and that pressured me to find other ways to make it happen even though that might have compromised the final results. But I have never changed my goal of opening our second location. I have done all that I can to open it with no luck so far.
Now the only thing I can do is wait until the circumstances change. It is true that I did not reach my goal by the time I had planned, but it is also true I did what I could. Nevertheless, that goal has not been achieved, and I will never stop until I get there.
A different example is my knee. I had surgery on February 21, as you probably know. It is not easy surgery getting three ligaments replaced. One of them needs extra care, and I have to wear a brace for 5 months at least. Now, I am a very motivated person, and I love to push myself to the limits. Nevertheless, with this surgery, I do have to be careful and take care of my knee. Even though I'm in good enough shape do to more, I have to wait for my knee, but I don’t do that passively.
Being passive would only make my body and my knee weak. Therefore, setting up realistic goals where I can increase my resistance by small amounts per week lets my body keep some of its strength, and I strengthen my knee at the same time. The goal is to be able to be back to my fitness level in a year.
My days are full of small goals or acts that fulfill the long-term goals...
For example, I have bought all the equipment for the new studio, I have hired the right personnel, I make phone calls to the landlord almost daily to find out what is going on with the new place I am planning to lease, and I continue keeping our new members updated about what is going on with the place. For my knee, I work on my range of motion, I exercise every day, I hike and I do my therapy.
Everything adds up to finishing the goal right on time or at least close… These are examples of some long-term goals. I have all type of goals, and my whole day is based on them.
Many people ask me if I ever have fun and expend time doing fun things. While it’s true that I get tired of working on my goals every day, I also think that working on my goals is the most fun I can have. What else would I do if I weren’t working on my goals? Watch TV? Surf the net? Drink? Play? Sleep? Shop? Hang out? And with this I am not saying that taking time off is bad. I am saying only that my life is more fulfilling when I have goals set up. I have something to work for, and I stay busy progressing.
I don’t want you to take my word for it, but the Bible states that God worked 6 days the first week and took one day off. This means that we should get the most out of 6 days and take one day off and enjoy it. Let me repeat this again: It means taking one day off.
I could be wrong, but I think it’s more satisfying to have a fit body than just wasting time, or to
my dream job or have my body completely functional than wasting time, or to be financially independent rather than wasting time, or to be able to travel because I have the freedom to do so than wasting time.
The Power.... of goal setting gives me the opportunity to focus on and achieve what I want and to see the progress in my life even though many times my plan does not go as it was supposed to. The goal will be in place until I achieve it. I have partied, spent a lot of time in front of the TV and on the Internet, hung out with friends just because of waste of time, drink and slept until the last minute, but nothing is as fulfilling as reaching one’s goals.
Start with small goals, and each one should give you the confidence to build up to bigger goals. Before you know it you will be reaching all of your potential and making a change in your life and the lives of others. Try it for 2 months and if you don’t like it, you can always go back to your old ways. It works for me, and it might work for you, but you will never know until you try.
Custom Body Fitness is located in Glenwood Springs CO and Carbondale CO