Creating Order Out of Chaos: Achieving your goals

Posted April 3, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Donnell Peavy

Section: His Health, Mental Health, Physical Health, Lifestyle Health

The dictionary has several definitions for the word ‘discipline’. One of them is “control gained by enforcing obedience or order”. By applying that definition to your everyday life, you can accomplish any fitness goal that you set for yourself. By control, I am not saying you should be anal about every facet of your health down to the exact calorie. However, by adding some structure to your daily routine, you will make it much easier to achieve your goals.

Of course, if you are to set out to achieve your goals, you must first have goals to achieve. Make a list of your goals. Write them down. It can be one item or one hundred items. Write them down. By writing them down, you have documentation – something you can look at which clearly states what your end goal is. Post this list in a place that is easily viewable and accessible. Not to mention that by writing them down, you are less likely to forget them. I once read that you are 65% more likely to achieve a goal if you write it down, so I will say this again – make a list of your goals and WRITE THEM DOWN.

Remember to be realistic with your goals; set accomplishments that you know you can achieve and give yourself a reasonable timeframe to achieve them in. By setting unrealistic goals, you are in the long run just setting yourself up for failure.

The dictionary has another definition for the word ‘discipline’ – “training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character.” In most cases, fitness goals involve changing your lifestyle in some way, be it eating more (to gain muscle mass), eating less sweets or simply beginning to exercise. Fitness goals involve lifestyle changes. You have to change your current lifestyle – train yourself to live differently. Make a schedule based on your goals and stick to it. Schedule your snack times, your workouts, etc.

Plan your meals several days ahead of time. By doing so, you can have your fridge stocked with the foods you know you will be eating and even already have them prepared, so you can just grab them and go – none of the “But I didn’t have time” excuses.

Lastly, chart your progress. Keep a journal of your activity. This not only serves as a means of holding yourself accountable for not sticking to your schedule, it also serves as a motivator by allowing you to look back and see how far you’ve come. For about $15, you can go to your local health and nutrition store and buy a pre-made journal called BodyMinder. There are also several websites which will give you an online journal.

By adding a little structure to your daily life, you can take a seemingly daunting task like losing weight and make it worlds simpler. Try it. You won’t be disappointed.

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