The Goal Achievement Process

I know you have heard a ton about goal setting, but have you ever heard about a process for goal achievement. Think about it. About 95% of people fall short of reaching their goals, yet it is hard to find a strategy on how to bridge the gap between goal setting and goal achievement. I'll be honest, I've fallen short of a lot of goals in my life, but I don't see that as failure. I believe that failure teaches us a lesson on missing resources and failure exists if you quit. Some goals end up being harder than anticipated or simply don't fit the timeline you originally set out to complete the goal. Ever heard the saying Winners never quit, quitters never win.

When you set out to accomplish a goal, we really have NO idea how long it might take. So, although timelines are a vital component of goal achievement to keep your brain focused with a sense of urgency, allowing yourself some grace on the timeline is a good idea. Once we can get very clear about the goals with myself, I like implement this goal achievement process that aims to give you more clarity on what boxes should be checked to ensure you succeed. In my assessment, there are going to be 5 key things that you must have to achieve any goal and these 5 keys to work on every goal. Whether your aim is to add a bunch a muscle, lose some fat, make money, or learn to speak a new language, you need to make time to get clear on each of these 5 areas:

Purpose. Clarity of purpose or knowing your why is a must. Assume that any goal you set is going to be way harder than you expect, and to stay on track you must know your why. You want to lose 10lbs, great, why? Because I want to fit into my bathing suit better this summer, perfect, why? Because I hate not being able to feel free to play with my kids in the pool or at the beach, awesome, why? I no longer want to be that parent hiding in the background watching her kids have fun, asking me to play with them and saying no because I don't want to be seen in a bathing suit.

See how digging deeper into your surface level reasons will give you that deeper why and purpose for what you are wanting to achieve with your goals. So when the going gets tough, you think back to that deeper reason of not being that parent who sits in the background because they are not confident in they way they look and feel when in a bathing suit at the beach with their kids.

Skills. Every goal requires skills. You won't make more money without providing more value to your clients. You won't add muscle without improving the way you train. You won't lose fat without getting better at following a meal plan, etc. Determine what skills you need from someone who already has those skills or has achieved the goal you are after, and get to work building them.

Habits. People that succeed have habits of success. Willpower doesn't work, so establishing non negotiable habits that are proven to move you closer to your goal every day is key. Sometimes people set a goal to get in shape in 12 weeks, follow a plan and as soon as its done they balloon back to where they were. This is because they mindlessly followed a plan without being mindful of intentionally creating high impacts habits that they could sustain for life. Create ONE new habit per week that you make non negotiable. (My favourite book on the topic is called Tiny Habits)

Process. Every goal has already been achieved by someone before you. Find them. Determine their process, and learn as much as you can from their mistakes to avoid making them yourself. This expedites time and ensures that your brains dopamine, or feel good, system is constantly feeling like its moving forward toward the goal. If you are someone that thinks you have a hard time getting motivated, this is your missing piece. Just follow the plan.

Discipline. At some point, you're going to rationalize why its ok to go even 1% off track from your goal. DO NOT do it. 100% adherence is key for success. Even 99% adherence to the plan opens the door to the possibility of not achieving the goal and makes it significantly harder to attain. Just tell your brain that you're committed 100%, the boats have been burned and not following through isn't an option. This sounds hard but will make goal achievement much easier. Hope that helps! If I were to add one more, I'd say it would be accountability. Some people don't have the discipline to follow a plan 100% so find a friend, family member co-worker someone who will not let you off the hook until you have achieved the goal. But over time, the best way to achieve success is by being accountable to yourself, your integrity and your own discipline.

Live your greatest life in a body you love :)