It’s the new year, and maybe you’ve set some goals for yourself. Let’s not call them “New Year’s Resolutions”, because that implies we need to wait for the new year. It also implies that if we didn’t start at New Year’s, or if we lose our momentum, we can’t just pick up whenever we want. (One more implication here? If you haven’t started or you’ve stopped – today is the day you should start again!)

Now, that said, what are we doing with our goals? Maybe you’ve got some nice SMART goals and you’re ready to go. Let’s ask ourselves two more questions:

1. Why have selected these specific goals?
2. What steps will make these things happen?

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-based

Goals should proceed from the things that are the most important to you while habits should build over time to make your goals happen.

This is about thinking ‘above’ and ‘below’ your goals. How about an example?

Example 1 – finding your real fundamental desire

“I want to become healthier.”
Ok, a SMART version of this gets more detailed:
“Three months from now I will be able to run a mile, I will deadlift twice my bodyweight, I will have lost 15 pounds, and my cholesterol will be under 200.”

This is an example of something many people want, often said as “I want to get in shape.” But now ask yourself why.

The Why

When you think about your goal(s), there’s an underlying reason. Why do you want to get in shape?

  • “I want to compete in a sport.”
  • “I want to move with less difficulty.”
  • “I’ve got sleep apnea and being more fit might help.”

Each of these is a valid reason and there are hundreds of reasons; there’s likely as many specific reasons as there are people. But even this may have something behind it. Let’s go another level deeper:

  • “I want to compete in a sport.”
    • “…because I feel alone; I think that will help me make friends and feel worthwhile.”
  • “I want to move with less difficulty.”
    • “I want to keep up with my kids (and grand kids) as they grow up.”
  • “I’ve got sleep apnea and being more fit might help.”
    • “My dad had sleep apnea and he had a heart attack partially caused by it. I want to be with my family as long as possible.”

I once heard the story of a man who said his goal was to get a promotion at work. When asked why he said “to make more money”. But the “why’s” continued. “To make more money” became “to be able to provide stability”. That why was answered with “because I want to ask my my girlfriend to marry me, and she deserves to feel secure.” His “why”, his real “purpose” or principle wasn’t making money – it was the desire to be with the woman he loved.

Yes, all of this requires some introspection, but tracking back to the things you really care about will give you more purpose behind these goals, and knowing the purpose can keep you going.

Example 2 – The Habits that Support the Goal

Let’s look ‘below’ the goal.

Here’s that goal again:
“Three months from now I will be able to run a mile, I will deadlift twice my bodyweight, I will have lost 15 pounds, and my cholesterol will be under 200.”

This came out of “I want to be healthier”, but wouldn’t it be nice to know how to make any of these things happen?

A goal without a plan is just a wish.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: 

That’s where the habits come in. The goal defines the person’s definition of “healthier”, and a timeframe in which to reach that goal. Let’s break down the pieces and apply some habits:

  • I will be able to run a mile
    • I will work out at least 3 times per week, and I will run three times per week (which can be during a workout).
  • I will deadlift twice my bodyweight
    • I will include the deadlift in my workout twice a week.
  • I will have lost 15 pounds
    • In addition to my exercise, I will eat salads for my dinner 3 nights a week.
    • I will avoid grains completely until I reach my goal.
  • My cholesterol will be under 200
    • I will read the labels of foods before I purchase them and not bring home anything with trans fats in them
    • I will snack on nuts and seeds
    • Instead of eating red meat 5 nights a week I will eat it 2 nights a week, replacing the other 3 with fish and chicken.

Take the time to break down your goals into sustainable habits, then use habit cards or mark a calendar with your progress to keep your momentum going!

An example of a habit card – use this to mark off the days and keep track of your success! Build up those hash marks!

This process of working back to your fundamentals and forward to habits is just one method of developing habits and identifying importance, but the exercise is worth doing. Once you have a better handle on your fundamental thoughts and beliefs this can inform every aspect of the rest of your life.

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