March 28, 2024

Ask a Pro by Nicki Anderson

Question: What is your number one trick to break through a mental barrier when working toward a goal? –Steve from San Diego
 

 

Answer: By Nicki Anderson

Make the Goal Your Own. All too often people set goals they feel they HAVE to achieve (pressure from family, friends, spouse, etc) vs. goals they WANT to achieve. Progress begins with looking at the goal and making sure it’s one that gets your heart pumping, in other words you have to be passionate about it. For example, if you repeatedly fall short of your goal, it is likely not one that is of enough value to you. So your goal HAS to be your own, one that ignites excitement.

Take Action. When you find the goal that inspires you, the next step is setting up an action plan. Keep in mind, if you’re setting up the action plan and feel your excitement is waning, one of two things is happening. Either the plan is too aggressive, or there is a part of the goal that doesn’t excite you enough to work that hard. This means it’s time to rethink your goal. If it’s too aggressive, slow down on your arrival date of the goal. For example, if you have a wedding to attend in 4 weeks and your goal is to lose 20 lbs, that’s pretty aggressive!

Be realistic. Once you start laying out the action plan and see the work that needs to be done, you might not want it that bad. So rather than abandon the goal entirely, simply be more realistic. For example, set 12 weeks for your 20 pound weight loss goal. You’ll still feel great by the wedding but you won’t feel like you failed because you didn’t reach such an aggressive goal.

Keeping these three steps in mind is the secret necessary to get you to your goal successfully!

Nicki Anderson
Columnist, Business Owner, and NASM Certified Trainer with over 25 years in the Health and Fitness Industry. She can be contacted at nicki@realityfitness.com or www.realityfitness.com.

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