Setting Goals.....

[Spook]

Introduction:


Setting goals is simply a formal process of personal planning. Many people may set goals in their minds without ever exacting them to paper, whereas, others may have some formal and unique processes for setting their goals on paper to map their plans to success. Some people may make long-term goals, short-term goals in sequential steps, or both. Setting goals is not limited to only business people, but many top level athletes set elaborate goals to keep them on track to their athletic success. By setting goals and targets you will choose where you want to go in life and in athletic achievement. Your goals will give you a long- term vision and short-term motivation. For this reason, I recommend an overall long-term goal with short-term goals to reach your vision so that your motivation will not falter.


When you set your goals clearly you can measure your progress and take pride in your achievements along your journey. Setting and achieving goals have so many benefits. These goals are not only your roadmap, but, as you conquer each goal in your progress, you can see forward to realize you are that much closer to your destination. You will obtain newly found confidence that you can achieve even more complex goals, and, as you recognize your ability and competence to achieve each goal, you will find new springs of self confidence flowing through you.


I had known a person who went through a very depressing time in her life, but she had the resolve and determination to say, “Enough!” She began setting goals and pushed herself to achieve these goals. She credited goal-setting to her success in transforming her body into something amazing. Of course, the resolve, determination, and extreme intrepidity of willpower met those goals.



Beginning to Set Goals:


Possibly, the easiest goal to set would be a long-term goal. As an example, you may state: “My goal is to be massive with a very small amount of bodyfat.” This is a very simple goal, simply stated, and, yet, it is to the point. Now that you have a general idea of what you want to do perhaps the time would be now (or as you begin gaining more knowledge of what you are able to do) to refine your goal. In the refinement you may expound by saying: “I want to bench 350lbs, squat 800 lbs, and have 5% bodyfat with shredded washboard abs.”


I do believe strongly in setting long-term goals to give you an overall perspective that will shape all the other aspects of your decision making. You can then begin adding a structure to your goal by inserting smaller subsets of goals as stepping-stones to achieve your long-term goals.


Now you should begin dissecting your goal by adding the short-term goals and planning. Some people will recommend perhaps as much as a 25 year plan (for lifetime goals), or 5 year plans for smaller long-term goals. Then they will add a 1 year plan, a 6 month plan, and one month plans could be used until they have reached and achieve their long-term goal. Other people may not set a deadline but use monthly goals until they reach their long-term goals. Whichever method that you prefer will probably be dependent upon what drives you the most. You may even go one step farther by adding a daily “to do” list (for athletes that list may be in the form of an exercise, supplement, and diet journal).


When you set your goals, make them realistic but not entirely without difficulty to achieve. State your goals in a positive manner such as, “Next month I will lose 2% bodyfat and increase my bench by 30 lbs,” rather than saying, “Try not to get any fatter and don’t drop another 45 lb plate on my foot like last month.”


As you keep working on your plans and goals you can stay on course by reviewing your exercise journal to see where adjustments need to be made to your routine or diet. It would be highly recommendable to have a list of stats and measurements each month so that you can have a summary of your achievements while reaching your goals. One other task that keeps many people motivated is not just before and after pictures, but progress pictures each month. Yes, take pictures of yourself every month or at least every 3 months (front, side, and back) to visually mark your progress if bodybuilding is your goal. As we look at ourselves every day in the mirror, the changes in our appearance become so subtle that our eyes and mind become accustomed to how we perceive ourselves visually, while progress photos can show the dramatic changes in your appearance over time. This is a remarkable tool for motivation and you can find the inspiration in your own appearance to strive forward.


Remember to write down your goals if you can. When you write down your goals, you make them into something tangible…you solidify them and it gives them force. Just keep those short-term goals small and achievable and, as you achieve that goal, re-evaluate your next short-term goal to see if you may have the ability to reach it as it is or you have the confidence to make the goal a little more difficult and still achieve it. Do not set your goals too low though as this is a tendency toward a fear of failure. You must take some risks to achieve what you desire.


However, please keep in mind this one point: GOAL SETTING IS NOT YOUR MASTER, rather GOAL SETTING IS YOUR SERVANT. Goal setting is a weapon of many in your arsenal to achieve victory. The goals should bring you great pleasure and satisfaction when you achieve them. Your goals will most likely change as you mature inwardly or in your athletic talent, so then you may most certainly adjust them accordingly as you grow physically and as your desires change. Not everyone has to look like the Mighty Oak, but you should find happiness and enjoyment in your life. That is why I would encourage adjusting your goals when you feel the desire or need to do so.


Remember, if you achieved a goal too easily, make the next goal more difficult. If the goal was far too difficult, make the next one easier; if you find that you have a deficit in some of your skills that prevent you from reaching your goals, then make goals that correct that deficit so that you can proceed; and if you learned something that would require a change in other goals then do so. Failure to achieve your goals does not matter as long as you learn from the experience and adjust accordingly to succeed. Put these lessons learned back into your goal setting.


Finally, do not forget to reward yourself when you succeed and meet each goal. Treat yourself to a nice steak dinner, a new toy, a CD, or a new motorcycle helmet.



Motivation:


I thought that perhaps sharing one of many things that inspires me and gives me renewed resolve may also give the reader a new source of motivation as well. Each person will find their own sources of inspiration and so each source will be unique to the individual’s perception and interpretation, but, nonetheless, this source that I am about to share did end in tragedy.


If I recall the historical events correctly, the National Weather Service began to take a serious interest in a weather pattern that was emerging in the North Atlantic near the end of October 1991. It was on October 30th that everyone knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Hurricane Grace, and two other fairly serious storms were about to collide into one of the rarest and most unique tempests that the world would ever see. As what was first to be called the Halloween Nor’Easter began closing in near the Sable Island vicinity, a swordboat named the Andrea Gail was about to meet the most ferocious beast of the sea that any sailor or longliner will ever meet. Yes, the Halloween Nor’Easter a few years later became known as the Perfect Storm.


The Andrea Gail set out to the Grand Banks to catch swordfish but without much luck. The captain and crew loved fishing; it was their passion. They refused to turn around because their goal was to catch more fish than anyone thought possible and set the market. Instead they steamed to an area of the Atlantic commonly referred to as the Laurentian Abysmal due to its great depth. It was here that they indeed caught enough fish to achieve part of their goal, but the end goal was to get the catch back to Gloucester and set the market. Captain Billy Tyne had just received the weather fax before they steamed back to land and he knew what they would be up against. Every member of the crew was steadfast in their resolve and determination to meet their goal so they decided to steam right through the belly of the beast. The book and movie had probably made assumptions about the events that occurred during the storm, but, nonetheless, the Andrea Gail’s crew was determined with unshakeable determination to achieve their goal.


Linda Greenlaw, the captain of the other swordboat as you recall from the movie pleaded with Billy to turn about and let the storm carry them out. She yelled, “Billy! Billy! For Christ’s sake, you’re steaming into a bomb! Turn around for Christ’s sake! Billy?! Can you hear me?! You’re headed right for the middle of the monster! Billy?!….Oh my God.”


The rescue chopper that was dispatched to rescue the crew of the Andrea Gail did not fare well either as one of the helicopter crewmen died in the ocean as well. When the rescue chopper’s crew learned of the Andrea Gail’s coordinates and course heading, one of the pilots uttered, “Jesus…they’re headed straight into hell.”


The Andrea Gail met the storm “head on” near Sable Island while she was relentlessly steaming toward her goal. Tragically, it was on the first day or two of November that the Andrea Gail met an unexpected destination. With 40 foot waves that did not move in any predictable direction (some waves merely hit and collided into each other from random directions); the Andrea Gail sank in the Sable Island area which is commonly referred to as the Atlantic’s Graveyard. She wasn’t the fist ship to be lost there; hundreds of ships have sank in that area and the British upon exploring the new world carried stories back to England warning all to never enter that area because the seas were far too treacherous.


I know that it would be difficult to find inspiration in such a tragic event, but it was their intense passion to achieve their goal (even if it meant death) that inspired me. These men knew what they were up against and they were willing to risk death to meet their goal. “They say that longliners are plagued with a lack of dreams and it is thought that this is what begets their courage.”


If you truly desire to achieve, you must have courage and confidence to set your goals and strive to meet them. Be passionate, push forward, and you can move mountains. Now, my charge to you is to go forth and conquer.

*** "Why is it that when I'm in deep thought I have the same look on my face as when I'm constipated?" ***

[This message was edited by Spook on 04-06-03 at 01:59 PM.]