The goal is to keep the goal the goal.

The Goal is to keep the goal the goal

The title of this article comes from a quote from the world-renowned strength coach Dan john. He is known from teaching simplicity and common sense approaches to training, life and nutrition. Sounds good, right?

Without going into details about goals, I want you to hit the pause bottom and read the previous article I have wrote on the subject here.

A new year generally brings about new goals and resolutions. Most of these goals burn hot for the first couple weeks, but by the time February rolls around have fizzled out to nothing.

Why don’t these goals hold up? Is it because your resolve isn’t very strong? Or, is it because you set your goals and either got side-tracked or had no desire on following up on your goals?
You must ask yourself, what is your goal? Big or small, what is it? Do you want to be a Doctor? Finish your degree? Or just get out of your soul-crushing job and do the things that matter to you? Whatever it may be, is your goal realistic? Is it attainable? When you wake up tomorrow will that thing still be your goal? In a month from now will it still be your goal? What about six months from now? What if your goal takes a year or more to accomplish? Can you keep your eye on the prize for that long?

“The goal is to keep the goal the goal.” Simple but effective words from strength coach Dan John. But that’s the biggest challenge with goals: staying motivated and focused on that one thing. (More about motivation here)

To keep the goal the goal make it visible every day. A picture. A phrase. A word. Something that you can see that will reaffirm your motivation each day so that you can keep putting in the work and keep the goal the goal.

It’s easy to get distracted and jump ship to a new program or concept that offers you short cuts, but the real test is can you keep at it day after day, slowly chipping away, until you’ve accomplished your goal?

Because once you’ve blown up the Death star and defeated the Empire, you get to party with the Ewoks. And that’s worth it, right?

 

A few steps to help you along the way:

• Ask yourself, does your behaviour match your goals?
• If not, but steps in place to change this.
• If yes, then you are on the right track and you can move on.
• We often have disempowering stories we tell ourselves. These hold no truth, but can hold us back!
• Establish some values which you will follow that will guide you in the right direction.
• Be aware of any negative language you are using and start adjusting it to more positive words.
• Establish what success means to you, if you are not clear on what success is to you, how do you think you will ever hit your goal and more.
• Again, all of this means NOTHING, if you don’t take action. If that means hiring a personal trainer, moving jobs, taking a giant leap of fate. Actions often speak louder than words.

So, stop getting distracted. Commit to your goal. I see this ALL the time in the fitness industry. People have no patience. The opt for the shiny new toy, get side-tracked and don’t stick to the plan.

It’s always important to remember that you only have the rest of your life ahead of you, so have the patience and consistency with whatever your goal is and the results will come.