The past two week’s blogs have discussed the importance of setting goals with strong language while also aligning them with our values.  Great! Now that you’ve gotten them written down with some specific detail and thought, it’s time for the part: taking action!

People who tend to dive right in on their goals with some type of action usually become the most successful in achieving their goal.  Creating a sense of urgency around taking that first step can be intimidating at first, but often the most powerful thing you can do to assure that you will achieve it.

Depending on the outcome of the goal, you will have to determine a few things in order to create actionable items for you to get the ball rolling.  Here are some things to consider when making your weekly or daily to-do list that alots time for working on your goal:

1. What are the skills that I already have that will be put forth towards accomplishing this goal?
   
   
2. What skills or information do I need to learn or find out about in order to assure that I will accomplish this goal with a high success rate?  Not having everything you need at the start of working on a goal is not unusual!  Identifying this early on will help you with question #3.
   
   
3. Do I need additional support or resources–specifically people–that I will need to help me in this journey?  Seeking out guidance or support from coaches or even peers can be crucial for persevering through tough times!  Whether it’s knowledge, accountability, or just some motivation, support from others can go a long way.
   
   
4. What will I gain from achieving this goal by the deadline?  What will I potentially lose if I do not achieve this goal by the deadline?  These questions also help keep you focused on the day to day actions, the progress monitoring you do throughout the time allotted for the goal, as well as the visualization of what’s to gain or lose if that goal is not accomplished by its deadline.  Think of gains/losses as more than just surface level such as money, or a couple pounds on the scale. Maybe you will gain greater self–confidence or new habits for eating.

When starting on your action plan, think about building some habits.  When you first start, create habits that have a duration, task & time on the task, as well as how many times per week you will practice it.  

Start with small habits that will allow you to be successful within the first week or two.  If you’re are successful with that habit, go ahead and take on another!

After evaluating your progress on the goal, decide by the deadline whether it is time to close it out, or if there are some changes to the goal you need to make as you move forward beyond the given deadline.

This wraps up our mini goal-setting series!  If you have any questions or would like to set up a goal setting consultation with a coach at CrossFit Des Plaines, click here.

Happy Goal Setting!