Over the years I've discovered the best way of setting your sites on a target and hitting the bulls eye is to make sure you're aiming at the right target. It's not as easy as it sounds. In the fitness world most people at this time of year plan  to lose 30lbs...or something to that effect. This is a recipe for failure.

The first step to hitting the bulls eye when it comes to setting goals in the new year is to know what you want...

Knowing what you want isn't always the easiest thing to figure out. My suggestion is that you start with a blank piece of paper and a pen. Start creating a list of all the things you think you want. For many people getting the paper and pen out is the easy part, but filling the page is the hard part. If you find you're getting stuck at this point create a list of the things you don't want. This may sound crazy, but it's sometimes easier to get things going this way. Once you've got the list of things that you don't want all you have to do is convert them into a list of wants. For example, "I don't want to look fat in my jeans." is changed to " I want to fit perfectly into my favourite jeans...catch the point? Write down as much as you can until the brain is empty.

Once you know what you want the next step is to know why you want something...

Losing weight is not what you should want. It has no real meaning. What you need to look at is why you want to lose the weight. What's in it for you to lose the 30lbs? What's in it for you to fit into a certain pair of jeans? Motivation in life doesn't come easy. The people who are motivated, tend to know what they want and why they want it. They also know that the benefits to achieving what they want, strongly out way the distractions that may make them miss the target. What's the real benefit to losing weight or fitting into a pair of jeans? That depends on the person you talk to, but I would think the real benefits are something like: health, increased energy, confidence, a sense of accomplishment, being able to keep up to your kids or grand-kids...the list goes on. Why you want something is the fuel that supports motivation. If you don't have that fuel then you'll run out of gas long before you hit the bulls eye.  

The real trick to getting what you want is to be on a MISSION...

For years I've been conducting mental training and mental management workshops where I've told people to forget about being goal oriented. Being goal oriented just doesn't work. What you need to do is become Mission oriented. To understand this a little better you need to know the difference between a goal and a mission. A goal is a desitnation. A mission is a journey which can be made up of goals or destinations. When someone is on a mission they tend to have a 'do it at all costs' attitude. In other words, they're aim is not easily knocked off target and if it is...they just re-adjust their aim to be back on target.

To give you an example of how you can embark on a mission as opposed to setting your sites on a destination, just consider this.

A goal sounds like this - To lose 30 lbs...or... To fit in my favourite jeans again.

A mission sounds like this - I will walk around with confidence at my natural body weight and I will live a healthy happy lifestyle.

The difference between the two is that the mission can cover both the weight loss and fitting in the jeans with one strong statement. Based on the above mentioned mission you can throw in many more goals or destinations along the way, but as long as you keep you sites on the mission above...you'll eventually hit the bulls eye. In other words, you'll achieve what you want for as long as you want it.

The toughest part to achieving your Mission is not planning to do it, but rather deciding to do it...

 Planning is always easier to do than deciding to do something because making a decision requires action. As an example, have you ever gone to a restaurant and had a hard time choosing what you wanted because the menu had so many choices? You may have a had a hard time choosing, but once you decided and placed your order...things became much easier. The waiter took your order the cooks started to prepare it and before long you were enjoying a meal. Going on a mission is much the same. Once you truly make a decision to do something and you believe that you can achieve what you want, things become much easier for you. Action takes place and results come pouring in. The reason this happens is the same reason as last months article on Newton and the laws of physics. Simply put....a body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest stays at rest.

All you need to do pick a direction, make a decision, and don't stop until you get there. The sooner you take action the sooner the rewards will come your way.


Author: John McMahon - Head Instructor
Nomad Kickboxing & Boxing

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