Youth Incorporated Magazine

What Do You Want?

This is the million-dollar question.

It is vital that you identify your goal, the experience that you intend to create. Without a specific, measurable goal,

• You will not know if you are making progress.
• You will not know when you get there.
• You will flounder around going for a generality and not move.

It is important that you state your intention in a form of what you want, rather than what you do not want. You picture what you focus on. If you focus on not wanting something, you’ll picture what you don’t want, and this will work against you.

For example, “I intend to sculpt my body, and be able to do 50 push-ups and 20 pull-ups, by July 1, 2017.”

Do not set goals like, “I don’t want to tired and weak anymore.”

Do you see the difference?

Simply say what you want and not what you don’t want.

Make the Goal Exciting and a Little Scary

You must step out of your comfort zone if you want to improve. What sense does it make to keep living the same way? You don’t learn, you don’t grow, and you don’t improve.

The leading edge is where the excitement is! Make your goal a little edgy, a little out there, beyond what others may think is possible.

Outcome Goals

You can state your ideal weight, dress size, body composition, and so forth.

Performance Goals

Personally, I like to set goals based on performance (function), because they work better for me. You can state what you want to be able to run, walk, lift, or perform.

Remember: A better performance leads to a better body.

Process Goals

You can list actions you intend to take on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Examples could include your proper food intake, workouts per week, miles run per week, and so on. These goals are items over which you have full control. Choose the actions that will naturally take you to your outcome or performance goals.

When you achieve your process goals, you automatically win because you learn what outcomes result from what actions. Your next step is to adjust as necessary.

This is no different from the process that any great inventor goes through. An inventor makes a goal to create something, plans out the steps, receives feedback from the steps, and adjusts.

The reason you write out a goal is to get your subconscious mind working for you. It will inspire you to TAKE ACTION on the steps toward your goals, which is what it’s all about.

Why Do I Need a Date?

When peak performers have dates or competitions scheduled, they know when they must bring out their best. With a specific time set, you will do what is necessary to peak on that date. With a foggy timeframe, it is easy to miss a workout or skip a meal, because you feel like you can make up for it later. Unfortunately, this can become a habit. “I’ll start tomorrow” or “Next week I’ll get back on track” are common phrases made by procrastinators.

When you create a date, you will make the most of your time and your decisions. You will make the extra effort to have your healthy meals ready and pack your gym clothes because you do not want to miss a beat.

With a date, you have a frame to work backward from and can detail the steps necessary to meet the goal.

Action Steps

Write Out What You Want and When You Want It By, This can be an outcome, process, or performance goal.