It is the time of year where everyone asks each other what their goals are. We know it's coming! The PRESSURE IS ON! Depending on what stage in life we are creating or which setting we currently stand in, our goals will vary. At 212 Health and Performance we have had members write down their goals on the wall to keep them accountable for the rest of the year. I took a look at the goals written on the columns and noticed many of them are numbers driven with either a weight loss number, getting to the gym a certain amount of times, or getting a PR with lifting.

Has anyone one ever thought of living a happier life, complaining less, or becoming more open minded? Having a goal to feel better in your environment at work or with personal life? Yes, getting a heavier barbell press can feel extremely amazing at the moment. At the end of the day, you may still have mental struggles with being and feeling happy. Telling yourself to think with a more positive attitude can truly make strides toward reaching your other goals. Having self-doubt through past failures places a dark cloud over our heads at times.

We all want to change things in our lives in one way or another to make us better. Change can be scary and not easy to do when we have bad habits in the way. For example, I will tell you a story about Jane, (Jane is a fake name, but a real person). Jane wants to get in shape. She is always tired and does not want to complain about it anymore. So, she decided to take some action by working out a few days a week and start thinking about eating differently. What she has not realized is that she had set up her goal to be “in shape” with the knowledge that she needs to be active and eat better. The part that Jane has left out in her goal is to be committed to her plan. Commitment to have a strong mental mindset to direct her in following through. Mental action, having your mind strong enough to make changes that take you out of comfort levels is necessary for Jane to be successful.

Speaking to Jane over the course of a few weeks, she began to understand that she needed to treat her goal like it’s a job, because she really wants it that badly. Jane comes in to workout with a reason and purpose, giving 100%. She is not afraid to ask the question she needs the answer to, and strategizes how it can be applied towards her goal of wanting to be “in shape.” This all makes sense in the long run, but will it happen in the course of a week or a month? I will never have the answer to that because that is up to you and your mental attitude and your actions. Throw away the self doubt that past failures have burnt the back of your mind. Self doubt will crush confidence. No confidence will stomp on self esteem. No self esteem can just set you back to your old habits.

Willpower, motivation, commitment. Visualize your success in which ever path you choose to take towards reaching your goals and you will achieve them.