Goals and the Deep End of the Pool

Do you ever feel like you are struggle in the deep end of the pool when trying to reach your goals? Perhaps the goal was a great idea but not fully planned out. Setting goals is essential to achieving success. The key to setting goals is figuring out what level of success do you want? The higher the goal the more detail and continuous work is involved. When planning a goal two points of reference should be applied; the start and the finish. In other words, the goal you wish to attain and where you are starting from.

Setting a significant goal, whether it is weight loss, accomplishing a competitive event or a completing a work or home project is not always simple. Desire is the fuel but planning, attitude, consistency and fortitude are the stepping stone which will allow you to reach the finish line.

In terms of goal setting, not enough time is spent on detailing the work that will be involved for a successful outcome. When planning a lofty goal, people tend to think of the “happy path,” this perfectly framed structured life, where nothing is going to get in our way. When life is going smoothly most things will take care of themselves, but the real key is what do you do when things are not going well?

The reality is most often things don’t go as planned and the easiest action to take is to lower the bar. Phrases like “Something is better than nothing” or “This is ok for now” immediately lowers your standards for success. Setting great goals requires great perseverance and definitely elevating personal standards.

Being uncomfortable is another way you can tell when you’re on the right path, making strides toward your goal. There will be times that you will be uncomfortable, that is when you know you are doing well. Why? Because if you are uncomfortable you know you are challenging yourself. I’m not speaking of pain especially when it comes to exercise. It about the way you feel after a particularly difficult workout where the movements are unfamiliar, you feel clumsy and your muscles are past fatigue. Many would consider this an obstacle to success. What it really means is that are you working toward your goal, not just hoping for the best outcome.

There will always be something going on in your life, planned or unplanned that will make accomplishing your objective more difficult. Many times people feel a level of satisfaction at the onset but then lack the follow through to accomplish the goal.

In the “pool of life” sometimes you have to jump in the deep end. You can’t just dip your toe in the water when what you need to do swim across the pool. But don’t worry if you have trouble swimming, you can get lots of help. The good news is whether you need help goal-setting or accomplishing the goals you have set, there is plenty of help available. Trainers, nutritionist, therapists, family and friends can support your endeavors and act as your life guards if you ever feel you are in too deep.