Part 3 of the Goal Setting Series
What can I do right now to set up my “Islands”? How do I avoid land mines?
The key to making it to your own personal finish line once you’ve set an appropriately potent goal is to set up islands and avoid land mines. Well, it’s not the only key. But it’s a big one. Keep focused on your goals. Your health is a priority – don’t be afraid to assert it as such.
Setting up islands is relatively easy. Here’s how:
1. Find the very first time in your plan where your goals might get a little tough. It could be an upcoming birthday party with lots of cake, an extra busy day with carpools for the kids and dinner prep duty, a day with a late meeting…any day you would normally cave to the circumstances and not follow your goals.
2. Set this big obstacle as an “Island.” At every turn leading up to that island that could potentially stray you from your goals, remind yourself you need to “practice” for this big day by saying “no.” Count the days down. Find little islands in between – filling up a tank of gas, doing weekly groceries, a spin class, the number of leg days before the island whatever will help you mark progress toward the big day.
3. Do this with everything. And I mean everything. If you must, put a countdown on pots of coffee, number of office reports you need to submit, yoga classes, heck – trips to the bathroom and hours before your next meal will work when it gets tough!
4. Once your island is set, forget about your big, beefy, goal. Just get to the next point without failure. Then, when you get to your next point, give yourself props for reaching it without failing! And then look immediately toward the next point.
To avoid land mines, here’s the best two pieces of advice I can give.
1 – Just. Look. Away.
2 – Always be within arm’s reach of a protein bar.
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This blog post was brought to you by Staci DeSchryver
Fitness Competitor and Self-professed Lover of All Foods Containing Cheese or Gravy... Sometimes Cheese and Gravy.