Molokai Fitness: Set Goals

Community Contributed

By Ayda Ersoy

Do you know that if you make a plan then it’s much easier to achieve your goals? Think, for example, if you want to go to your friend’s house but you don’t know where it is, and you don’t write down the directions, you most likely won’t find it. But if you have the address, and maybe a small map, then it’s much easier to find your way.

What’s your most important health and fitness goal right now? Write it down. And most importantly, give yourself a deadline to achieve it. Then, break it down into small pieces to see how you can reach it. Think what you need to do, then do it! You will reach your goal for sure.

The hardest part is often staying on track, and sticking to your goals when it gets tough. Here’re a few tips to help:

Write down your goal, and your deadline to achieve it, on lots of pieces of paper or notes and put them everywhere, at your home and work. You should see them all the time.

Every day, do one thing that will help you reach that goal. It doesn’t matter how small. If possible write this down too.

Every day, imagine achieving your goal. Visualize it first thing in the morning, and last thing at night before you sleep. Take just 5 minutes out of your day for this. When you imagine it then visualize that you have already achieved it, and how happy you’ll feel!

When it gets tough, if you feel frustrated or in a negative mood, then look back at how much you have already achieved towards your goal.

Take it one day at a time, or even one hour at a time. For example, if you’re trying to cut one thing out of your diet, then don’t think “I must never eat this,” just think “I won’t eat it today.”

You can use this method for everything. But remember, you need to do it consistently so that it becomes a habit. Most things that you do are based on habits that you have created in the past, so you can create a new habit now with things the way you want them to be.

You can do anything you want. Read that again… You can do anything you want! The key is “want.” Don’t focus on the problem, focus on the solution. Don’t waste any time in your life, you are worth having everything you want!