Generally speaking, you can achieve anything that you want to achieve. People have made unbelieveable changes in their lives and overcome huge obstacles in the pursuit of a goal.
Yet others spin their wheels year after year even if the goal is significantly small and only requires a low-level effort.
What sepeartes those who achieve what they set out to achieve what they want from those that don’t?
Although we’ll focus on health and performance here, many of these points are applicable to any endeavour such as learning a new language, learning how to draw, etc.
1) They set S.M.A.R.T. goals
• Specific- they know exactly what they want
• Meaureable- they have a way of measuring their progress
• Actionable- they are able to take action towards their stated goal
• Realistic- Their goal is realsitic with regard to their current situation
• Timebound- They set a timeframe in which to achieve their goal
Are your goals S.M.A.R.T. or are they just plucked out of thin air?
2) They have a strong enough reason to to keep them on track:
• They want to play at a higher level in their sport eg. Make it as a pro
• They want to be able to play with their children more
• They had a health scare that was directly related to their lifestyle choices
• They want to look more attractive
If your reason is too weak then it is going to be hard to justify the work that needs to go into it.
3) They do the work. This is the point that most people overlook.
If you are serious about achieving any goal in life then you must put in the work that is necessary to achieve it. Sounds so simple but it holds so many people back from going forward in many areas of their lives.
Want to put on 2 stone of quality muscle? You’re not going to do it with inconsistent workouts or training twice a week. If this isn’t possible then change your goal.
Doing the work includes:
• Getting to bed on time
• Staying hydrated
• Following your training program
• Eating the right foods for your goals
• Doing your corrective work
4) Following on from the last point, they are consistent. Those who achieve their training goal are consistent in their efforts/habits with regard to training, nutrition, etc.
We have a ton of clients who have made huge changes in their physiques, quality of life, sports performance, etc. over the course of 4-12 months. Staying consistent for this timeframe can be a challenge but it is the only way to make huge progress.
On the other hand, those who fail to achive their stated goals often aren’t consistent from one week to the other when it comes to training, food, etc. and they have all the excuses to justify it.
If it’s important to you, you will make it a priority.
5) They have a set routine for their training.
Every one of our successful clients has a set routine for their training that they never break. This allows them to maximise their time to it’s best potential and to manage all of their other responsibilities also.
Examples of some of our client routines are:
• Tuesday and thursdays at 9.30am after I drop the kids to school
• 7am before starting a 12 hour shift
• 8pm after working a 12 hour shift
• 6pm every weekday on the way home from work
A lot of our clients have 2-3 children, full time jobs, travel a lot with work and have a million other responsibilities. Winging it simply doesn’t work for anyone when it comes to training.
We can all find excuses if we want. The problem is that if you accept them as legitimate reasons then you will never see the results that you want.
Your training program (whatever goal) doesn’t have to take over your life but it does have to be part of it.
Agree, disagree or have something to add? Don’t forget to leave yor thoughts in the comment section.
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