3521: [Part 1] How to Rock at Goal Setting by Roger Lawson of RogLaw Fitness on Fitness Mindset

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[00:01:00] This is Optimal Health Daily. How to Rock at Goal Setting, Part 1, by Roger Lawson of rogelawfitness.com. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik. Hey there, welcome back to another edition of Optimal Health Daily, or welcome for the first time if you're new here. This is the podcast where I act as your very own personal narrator and read to you from some of the most popular health and fitness blogs online. And today's post is on the longer side, so as usual, I'll read the first half to you today and then finish it up for you tomorrow.

[00:01:29] So, let's get to Part 1 of today's post as we optimize your life. How to Rock at Goal Setting, Part 1, by Roger Lawson of rogelawfitness.com. Author Jeffrey Albert once said that the most important thing about goals is having one. This is clearly not the case. The world is overflowing with an abundance of goals, and if you need visual confirmation of this fact,

[00:01:57] just visit your local gym on January 1st and prepare to be amazed by the massive army of fitness warriors who have arrived on the field of battle. Many come armed with the latest 30-day workout program from their favorite magazine, while others just wing it and hope for the best. No matter how they've arrived at this point, the one common bond that links them all together is a goal that spurred them into action. Just like all great battles, however, the casualty rate is high.

[00:02:24] So why is it that just after a few weeks, the number of gym goers actively pursuing their goal experienced such a huge drop-off? After all, they had a goal, right? Yes, but what they were sorely lacking, and what a large majority of successful people have, was a plan. And a goal without a plan is, and always will be, just a dream. While a plan is important, a realistic plan will exponentially increase the likelihood of your success.

[00:02:52] And borrowing a few concepts from Edwin Locke, a pioneer of goal-setting theory, can aid you in creating your own plan. In his book entitled, A Theory of Goal-Setting and Task Performance, Locke and his colleague, Dr. Gary Latham, outlined five key principles that must be in place in order to motivate us to succeed in the pursuit of our goals. Principle number one, clarity. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right the first time.

[00:03:18] But before we can do it right, we must clearly define what it is. Locke's research brought to light the notion that the more clearly defined an objective is, the better the chances are of it actually being achieved. For instance, someone who simply wants to, quote, get jacked, has a more ambiguous goal than someone who wants to, quote, increase their front squat by 40 pounds in 8 months while maintaining their current body fat levels. The latter has an exact destination that they are heading towards.

[00:03:48] And when four 10-pound plates, or however you want to do the math, have been added to that original weight, the goal has been reached. The former, however, does not. When will his jacktitude quotient be met? 20, 40, or even 100 pounds later? Don't hamstring yourself from the start by not giving yourself a clear target to shoot for. Principle number two, challenge. We must stretch ourselves outside of our comfort zones in order to grow as individuals.

[00:04:17] And this concept is also critical in setting your plan for success. The less challenging a goal is, the less excited we are about achieving it. The less excited we are about achieving it, the less likely we are to even bother pursuing it. One tip that I learned from financial guru Dave Ramsey is the importance of starting with the easiest goals first. While a goal may not be exceedingly difficult, the importance of building momentum from the completion of smaller tasks cannot be underestimated.

[00:04:46] For instance, if your goal is to lose 15 pounds in 16 weeks, that initial weight that is lost during the first few weeks of dieting will serve as a sign that you can do it. And, as a lesson to reflect on when the rate of loss slows down. By doing so, you will become more confident in your ability to succeed, which will carry over with you when you begin to tackle more challenging goals. Principle number three, commitment.

[00:05:12] This is where most people tend to fall off the wagon, down the hill, and off the side of a cliff. If there's anything that I learned from being surrounded by athletes from all walks of life, it is this. Effort and attitude trump all. You can have the best training program or business plan in the world, but if you lack pursuit, then you should expect it to show in your results. I would put my money on the person who has the worst training program known to man, but is willing to try their hardest every day. To be continued.

[00:05:46] You just listened to part one of the post titled, How to Rock at Goal Setting, by Roger Lawson of rogelawfitness.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. Now, it's just me and a small team behind this show, so I get how much the right hire matters. When you need the right person, this is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Stop struggling to get your job post even seen on other sites.

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[00:07:29] Dr. Neal Malik here for my commentary. The best performers aren't those that are consistent at being great. They're great at being consistent. So for example, I've said this many times on this show before. When students or patients or clients ask me, which workout really works? Does CrossFit work? Does P90X work? What about Insanity? I say they all work. Because if you're consistent at any one of those, you're going to get results.

[00:07:56] And to highlight what Roger mentioned, if those programs challenge you, which was principle number two, and if you know what your goals are, principle number one, clarity, well then yes, it will likely work for you. Setting short-term or smaller goals along with long-term goals can be so valuable because those long-term goals can take a while to get to. And over time, when you haven't quite reached that long-term goal yet, you can get frustrated.

[00:08:21] But if you have small goals that kind of help you step-by-step get to that larger long-term goal, then you can keep track of those small wins and make note of the progress you are making. Think of it this way. There's a beach I like to go to where they call this walk down to the beach the flight of a thousand stairs. Let's just say there's a lot of stairs between the top, where you start, and down to the water, where you want to be.

[00:08:48] Getting back to your car after a long day of laying out or swimming in the water can be exhausting to think about. When you look down at the bottom of the stairs and you look up to those thousand steps that have to get you back to your car, it can be very daunting. So imagine in this case, the longer-term goal is to climb those steps and get to the top, back to your car. But you've got all these little steps in between that separate you from where you are now and your ultimate goal of getting back to your car.

[00:09:16] As you climb those stairs one by one, you're making small little wins. And then do you ever take a moment sometimes, let's say you're on a hike somewhere, you haven't quite reached the top of the mountain, but you stop for a second and you turn around and look. And you look to see how far you've come. Wow, just a few minutes ago I was way down there. I may not be at the top of the mountain yet, but look, look at how far I've come up. That's the value of small goals.

[00:09:43] It gives you that moment to stop and say, wow, I was down there, but now look how high I am already. It's those small little wins or small little steps in this case, both figuratively and literally, that allow you to take that moment and say, wow, I am making progress. And if I continue, I'm just a few short steps, a few feet away from my ultimate goal. And it's that motivation, it's that realization that will often get you back on those steps

[00:10:13] or back on that hiking trail to reach the top. So again, those small little wins, don't forget about those. Those can be very motivating. All right, that's enough out of me for today. Have a great rest of your Tuesday. Thank you as always for listening. I'll be back here tomorrow to finish up this post. So I'll see you there where your optimal life awaits.