Setting a goal is easy, sticking with it is the real challenge. Whether you’re working toward better health, increased strength, or any life or professional goal, the path to success isn’t always straight forward. The good news is you don’t have to rely on motivation or will-power. You need a solid plan, a positive mindset, and support. Here are nine tips for reaching your goals so you can stay on track!

1. Know Your Big Why

You know your goal. But do you know why this is your goal? Ask yourself why it matters to you. Ask ‘why’ four more times to get to your Big Why. Once you have this answer, you have your motivation or your reason for doing the work. When you know your Big Why, you can never say you’re just not motivated.

2. Set Process Goals, NOT Outcome Goals

Your goal is probably an outcome you want to achieve in a specific time frame. But the reality is, you’re not in control of whether or not you accomplish that goal on your timeline. What you are fully in control of, however, are the steps you’ll take daily, weekly, and monthly to increase your chances of accomplishing your goal. These steps are called process goals. Your outcome goal will dictate your process goals. For example, if you have a goal to lose 10 lbs in six months, set process goals to hit your protein target every day, strength train three days each week, get 10K steps every day, and check-in with your coach every month.

3. Sleep

When you’re underslept, you’re not able to make good choices the next day. Studies have found that people consume about 500 extra calories the day after a night of poor sleep. And those extra calories aren’t coming from chicken breasts and broccoli! When you’re tired, it’s difficult to resist the doughnuts in the break room, the cookies in the pantry, or that muffin at the coffee shop. Set yourself up for success by prioritizing sleep.

4. Start Small

If you start off like a firework, you’ll fizzle out quickly. Instead, begin with the smallest steps you can sustain. That way, you have a foundation to build upon. Remember, you’re creating lifelong habits and there’s no rush. Your brain will try to convince you that these tiny steps don’t matter. But that’s just not true. The most important part of this process is building sustainable habits and routines. Read Tiny Habits or Atomic Habits if you want to understand this better.

5. Track your progress

Have a method for logging your process goals daily. Record your workouts. Track your water and protein intake. Perhaps your activity tracker is saving your daily steps and sleep data. At the end of each week, review your log and apps and use the WLAG formula to record your Wins, Losses, Aha’s, and to set Goals for the week ahead. Use your weekly reviews to complete a monthly review. Use the monthly reviews to complete a quarterly review. Use the quarterly reviews to complete a yearly review. You’ll be surprised how fast you can complete these reviews when you stay on top of your weekly reviews. Plus, daily logging itself will lead you to be more aware and to make better choices. You’ll also benefit from reflecting back on information you’ve collected.

6. Acknowledge Your Wins

Simply reflecting on your wins each week helps you acknowledge and recognize yourself. You can also share your wins on social media, with your coach, with your partner, or with a friend. This is a great way to counter negative self-talk. Don’t skip this step if you’re someone who gets discouraged when you don’t “see” results.

7. Expect Setbacks

Progress won’t be linear because life happens. We’re human, and so much is out of our control. Expect to get sick (or have a sick kid/pet), to get slammed at work, and to for snow days to interfere with your routine. We’re not aiming for perfection. If we expect setbacks, they won’t be so discouraging when (not if) they happen.

8. Course Correct

An occasional setback is to be expected. But if you find yourself struggling with the same issue week after week, you need a different strategy. The solution might be clear to you and you just need to implement it. Or you might need an outside perspective. Don’t underestimate the value of someone else’s ideas. They might have options you’ve never considered. This is where a coach can be helpful. Not only does a coach know what you need to do to reach your specific goal, but they also know how to best guide you so you can implement an effective plan instead of spinning your wheels and feeling disappointed.

9. Consistency Over Intensity

Remember that the most important factor to reaching any goal is consistency. Do everything you can to cultivate and preserve your habits. It’s not about how much you do in any one day or week. What matters is showing up for yourself and accomplishing your process goals day after day, week after week. When life gets busy, stick to your non-negotiables so you can keep stacking wins.

Reaching a goal doesn’t require perfection. What you’ll need is consistency and momentum. Small, daily actions add up to big results over time. So, as you move forward, focus on the process, acknowledge your wins, and remember that setbacks are to be expected. Keep showing up for yourself and let me know if I can help.

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