Set goals that matter!

If each ‘New Year’ resolution we made was worth a dollar, the world would be free of poverty! Oh what a happy day that would be.

I stopped making resolutions decades ago. Those that I made just wouldn’t stick. Within weeks, if not days, I would go back to my comfort zone. And I wasn’t alone. Many of my friends were in a similar dilemma. That critical weight-loss program collapses in February. A reading habit shuts its pages with the first book of the year. The list goes on.

When I looked up the meaning of resolution, I found it just means “a firm decision to do or not to do something”. So the declaration is made, then what? No wonder resolutions don’t work!

Instead, I replaced resolutions with goals. Unlike resolutions, goals provide me with a solid framework to thrive at life and win at my work. I am able to better respond to challenges, identify the action I need to take and build habits (behavior) that drive my desired change.

To make this happen, I came up with four goal categories: Spiritual, Work, Health and Community. These were further broken down into specific goals.

“It is not difficult to know a thing; what is difficult is to know how to use what you know.” – Han Fei Tzu

I will use the health category to break down a specific goal. Naturally, I have a slender body-frame. This is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it takes some effort to put on weight. However, as I grow older (I am in my mid-forties), it becomes harder to shed off any weight. Even though not readily visible, my weight gain becomes evident when I lose my breath going up a flight of stairs.

Before, I would have just made a resolution to work on my fitness. But not this year. I set a goal to eat healthy and stay fit through cycling. I will break down this goal in the following five key elements of a goal that works.

Specific and sharable

The first element of my goal is that it is specific. This is not my opportunity to throw in everything including the kitchen sink. It is real and personal for me, not for others. It shows my commitment but can still be easily shared with other people.

“Improve my endurance/conditioning by…”

Meaningful and measurable

The next element of my goal is that is make sense to me beyond the goal itself. A goal is not a check box. It must also inspire habit that brings out the ‘best you’. Let’s face it, we all care about how we look physically. I do too! Additionally, I have a temptation to sit at the computer for long hours. This is amplified by the fact that we are in the process of building a new business.

Therefore, it is even more urgent for me to have as much physical exercise as possible. It keeps my mental health in check too. “Regular exercise… relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood.”

“Improve my endurance/conditioning by cycling…”

Actionable but achievable

Now, this is where I have gone horribly wrong in the past. In my eagerness to look good or please others, I have set goals that were way out of my league. Actionable is ability – including securing external help – and not probability. At the end of it all, I must be able to provide an account of what I have achieved while pursuing the goal.

Could I have worked on my endurance and conditioning by joining a gym? Of course I could. But I don’t like the idea of being confined in a room sweating away. I easily get bored with repetitive routine and lose interest very fast. Cycling, on the other hand, gives me a sense of freedom. I can unplug from tech gadgets, alter my route and join friends along the way. For me, it is not only actionable, but achievable and more enjoyable.

“Improve my endurance/conditioning by cycling…”

Real results are a must

Without measurement, tracking and review, a goal will fall flat on its face. Why? There is no result or outcome at the end. It also becomes very difficult to figure out what is working or change that is required to get to the intended destination. Peter Drucker reminds us that you can’t manage what you can’t measure.

Before I start off on any cycling event, the first thing I fire up is the cycling app on my phone. Among other data, it helps me keep track of the distance covered, how fast I cycle and how many calories I burn. At the end of my ride, my result is evident.

“Improve my endurance/conditioning by cycling 5,000 kilometers…”

Time-bound and accountable

Finally, a well-designed goal must happen within a specified time-line. Otherwise, it becomes wishful thinking – a resolution. “Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting.” – Haruki Murakami.

The steps toward the level of health and fitness I want are confined within a finite resource, time. I can’t wait for next month or next year. The time is now. To time, I add a dash of accountability because I know how easy it is to drop a goal left to my own devices. This is giving permission to some friends to take me to task on my progress (or lack thereof).

“Improve my endurance/conditioning by cycling 5,000 kilometres in 2019.”

“I don’t focus on what I’m up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest.” – Venus Williams

To make my goal less scary – 5,000 kilometres is a big number! – I broke it down to weekly targets. By cycling only 100 kilometres every week, I should reach my goal in 50 weeks! And it only takes two 50-kilometer rides every week. Now, that’s doable! Small steps every week.

As I write this, I am ahead of my goal by 57 kilometers. My body and mind feel great, and a nagging back pain is gone. Onwards!

Q: What steps do you want to take towards setting goals that matter? You can leave a comment by clicking here.