I began my weight loss journey like so many other women; I decided I needed to lose 50 pounds. In reality, I needed to lose closer to 70; but 50 seemed like a good place to start.

As I’ve shared in a previous blog, that journey was filled with many false starts and despite my best efforts for a while the scale didn’t change at all. It wasn’t until I took that goal and broke it down into smaller sub-goals that I finally started to see success. That is how it went for the entire time it took me to lose the 70 (yes 70!) pounds.

I set small goal after small goal, all the while keeping my eye on the bigger result I wanted to achieve. With each smaller goal I hit, my main goal became closer and closer to reality. It wasn’t until I began my holistic wellness training that I understood why so many people, women especially, struggle to make sustainable and meaningful changes; no matter how badly they want them. We aren’t good at setting goals, or we were never taught how.

According to Reliable Plant only 20% of people set goals. Of those individuals, the success rate for hitting their goals only sits around 30%! Making lasting changes to your wellbeing is no easy task. It takes a balance of planning and patience. In this blog I will:

• Explore the differences between goals and intentions

• Discuss how to craft appropriate and effective goals

• Review how to design an action plan that leads to success.

Goals vs. Intentions

To start, it’s important to understand the difference between a goal and an intention. They are often used interchangeably but are quite different.

A goal is something you want to achieve sometime in the future; an external accomplishment or something tangibly measured. An intention is behavioral; something that can generally be changed in the short term.

Intentions themselves are lived each day, whereas to achieve a goal smaller, related action steps must be taken to accomplish it. Think of it as goals are about the destination while intentions are about the journey.

Whether you are setting a goal or an intention it’s necessary to understand your motivation behind what you want to accomplish. There are two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic motivation is driven by an internal reward; for example playing a sport because it’s something you find fun and enjoyable. Essentially intrinsic motivation is doing something because it’s pleasing to you.

Extrinsic motivation is driven by the desire to meet an external goal, earn a reward or gain acknowledgement. A great example of extrinsic motivation is showing up to work each day. Of course, there might be other things you would prefer to spend your time doing, but the lure of a paycheck keeps you motivated to show up at work each day. Understanding the motivation behind your goal or intention is important to your success.

One type of motivation isn’t necessarily better than the other, but it can play a role when it comes to the types of goals or intentions you want to make.

The importance of setting goals

Setting goals has quite a few benefits, including shifting behaviors, increasing focus and providing a sense of mastery. People who are experiencing too much pain or discomfort in their lives, or just the opposite, are experiencing too much comfort and pleasure will benefit from goal and intention setting. If you’re not sharing an experience like that, then the underlying motivation to change may not be there.

Make your goals SMART

Once you know whether you are setting a goal or an intention (or a few of both) and you know what your driving motivation is, how do you ensure success? The first step is to make sure your goals are as specific as possible. You want them to be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. In the below example you can see how the goal becomes more defined by adding specificity, a timeline and how you’ll make it actionable.

Ok: “I want to lose weight”

Good: “I want to lose 10 pounds”

Better: “I want to lose 10 pounds in the next 3 months”

Best: “I want to lose 10 pounds in the next 3 months by running 4x a week”

Structuring your goals using this method alone might be enough for you, but also consider taking additional steps as you outline your aspirations:

1.      Write your goals & intentions down and put them someplace you can see them every day.

2.      Revisit your goals regularly and adjust them as needed, without judgement.

3.      Work with an accountability buddy like a friend, partner or Health Coach.

Finding success

There is one more important thing that you’ll want to do next: create an action plan. Having an action plan will help you to stay on track and overcome any obstacles that may be in your way. Action plans help you navigate the smaller parts of your larger goal and gives you an opportunity to celebrate the little wins along the way! To create an action plan:

1.      Break your goal up into smaller more accessible sub-goals.

2.      Outline no more than 3 action steps to achieve those sub-goals.

3.      Identify anything you may perceive as an obstacle to success.

4.      Track your progress! Once a day or once a week take time to check in and record your progress.

To help you on your way, I’ve created this free action planner that you can use to help you break your goals up into smaller sub-goals.

Get going

I want to see happy successful people wherever I look! Success belongs to 100% of the people who set goals and intentions for themselves. Now that you understand the benefits of goal setting and are familiar with how to shape your goals you should have what you need to get started!

Want support? Work with me.

Do you feel like you know exactly what your goal is, but for some reason you have trouble reaching it? Whether it’s weight-loss, improving your diet, becoming more spiritual, physically active or sleeping better, a health coach is an accountability partner you can lean on for guidance and support.

My role as an Integrative Health Coach will help you prioritize your health & wellness goals, then reach them! We’ll work together to identify what’s working and what’s not and find new approaches to ensure you live a healthier, happier life and truly thrive. Contact me today to set up a FREE health consultation.  

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Be well!