The Great Goal Setting Glitch

Are you a goal setter? I am a great goal setter. I set a lot of goals. I set exercise goals, money saving goals, dietary goals, work goals, etsy goals and even house cleaning goals. Are you a goal keeper? I am a great goal setter. Oh, I already said that, didn't I. Yep, I am a great goal setter and a terrible goal keeper!

Setting a goal isn't enough, and I realize that now. Anyone can set a goal, but in order to keep a goal....you need a plan. That's where I run into trouble. I don't ever plan how I am going to reach that goal. My guess would be that many of you are in the same place. Am I right?

The first thing you need to do is to set a goal. I think most of us are probably quite good at that. I know I am. So, for the sake of keeping this simple, let's talk exercise and health. I think most of us at one time or another have set exercise and health related goals. Right?

My daughter is getting married in March. I am not considered overweight, however the weight I am at right now, is not a comfortable weight for me. My clothes don't fit right and I just don't like the way I look. So I would like to lose and little weight and definitely tone up my arms, my belly and my rear before the wedding.

My goal is to lose 5 pounds and tone up some specific areas by the wedding. Woo hoo, great goal! Normally that would be where I would stop. I would start walking a little and maybe working out a little and then I would miss one day for some reason, and then I would miss two days for some reason and then all of sudden I would be doing anything at all....again!

Now, what if I had a plan to go with that goal? A very specific plan. Every weekday morning I am going to take the dog for a very brisk 15 minute walk before work. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will do a 20 minute yoga workout right after work. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, I will do a 20 minute Pilates work out. It will be right after work on Tuesday and Thursday and first thing in the morning on Saturday.

Doing anything after work is difficult for me. I am a morning person....a big time morning person. If something isn't done by say 2:00 p.m., it isn't getting done! So, send some encouragement my way. I was working out a bit after work before I started my etsy business and haven't done a thing since then!

Every Saturday, I will make up my menu for the week for each meal of the day, so when I go shopping I can buy the right foods, and only the right foods. I will post my menu on the cabinet so I always know what I am going to be eating, leaving very little room for error.

On Fridays I will eat whatever I want to eat whenever I want to eat it. This little plan I have done before and it works quite well for me. I know all week that Friday is coming and I'll be able to eat some fries or a dessert and it's okay because I have given myself permission to do so. I also know that when I see how good I feel during the week, that I don't always want to mess things up on Friday, so I don't eat that much bad stuff anyway.

My thought is that anything positive I can do for myself is better than doing nothing at all. Right?

On Sunday, I will take a nice long leisurely walk with the dog. I will give my body and mind a rest and I will congratulate myself if I have done well, and forgive myself if I haven't...because I know that I am not perfect and I will make mistakes and it's really okay.

So, go ahead and set those goals....but make a plan to go with them. Write it down

and each and every day, follow what you have written down. After a short time, the things you are doing will become more of a habit than a pain in the butt, and you will be on your way to achieving your goals! Good luck!