It's no secret that the number one New Year's resolution each January is losing weight. The obvious question is, if so many people decide to lose weight, how come the same resolution is still at the top every year? The answer lies in the other well-known fact: most celery-eating, treadmill-hogging, excited new gym goers quit before you can say "Valentine's day chocolate". Resolutions are often doomed to failure because they address the behavioral aspect with very little if any thought being given to the emotional aspect- that is, what the end result of the behavior change will feel like.Click Here!
The typical "I want to lose weight" resolution made on January 1- while still full from a hearty party meal the night before- is much too vague and unemotional to stand when faced with the rigors of dieting: tempting foods, hunger, workouts that sound a lot less appealing than watching "The Biggest Loser" while munching on a bag of chips. Goals are the opposites of resolutions. If correctly set, they deal with the emotional, behavioral and temporal aspects at the same time: the why, how and when. Contrast the "I want to lose weight" resolution mentioned above with this:
"By June 30, 2010 I will lose 25 pounds and 3 inches off of my waist. I will lose an average of 1 pound per week or 4 pounds per month. I will do this by eating 300 calories less per day and working out for 30 minutes 5 days per week. On July 1 I will celebrate reaching my goal by going to the beach with my husband. It will feel wonderful not to be ashamed to wear a swimsuit!"Click Here!
Which one do you think has more emotional pull: the vague resolution or the concrete goal? Let's analyze this example and see why it's so much more likely to motivate someone to see the goal through to accomplishment.
1. The goal above is comprised of a long-term goal (losing 25 pounds in 6 months) which is broken down into short-term goals (losing 1 pound per week or 4 pounds per month).
2. We see that the outcome goal (being 25 pounds lighter by June 30) is followed by process goals outlining the steps to be taken in order to reach the outcome goal (eating less, working out 30 minutes 5 days per week).
3. The goal is specific and measurable (via scale weight or tape measure) - not a vague, pie-in-the-sky wish.
4. The goal is realistic (losing 1 pound per week is a healthy, doable, average weight loss rate).
5. The goal is also moderately difficult (not so easy that it requires no effort, but not so difficult that it can't be reached).
6. Finally, the goal is internalized (the person has a high emotional investment in it expressed in the desire to be able to wear a swimsuit without feeling ashamed of her body).
In summary, well-set goals should be:
- long-term (with short-term goals built-in)
- outcome-driven (with process goals built-in)
- specific
- measurable
- realistic
- moderately difficult
internalized
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