It’s that time of the year when everyone starts to think about their New Year’s Resolutions. Every year we write out a list of things we’d like to achieve, have or do and every year some of us seem to have the same thing appear on said list… Lose 5kg, run 5km, save $5k…. Thats a lot of K’s!! Sound familiar? Do you get to the end of the year and wonder why you haven’t achieved all those things you set out to do at the beginning of the year. I know I have been guilty of setting the same goals time and time again.

I must admit I get a bit confused about this whole Goal Setting business. On one hand I’ve been told that my goals must be  S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timed) and then on the other I’ve been told to dream big and think the impossible. WTF?! So which one is it – nice & conservative or big & hairy?? Who friggin knows…

Well I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s both… or neither.

When it comes down to it there’s really only one thing that matters when it comes to setting goals which is summed up quite nicely in this little quote I once heard…

“The difference between the goals that we achieve and the ones that we don’t is that they weren’t our true hearts desires in the first place”.

So I’ve decided to kick S.M.A.R.T’s arse and come up with a few goal setting rules of my own. These will not only help you to set “Real Goals” but will also help you achieve them. Something S.M.A.R.T. forgot to mention.

Set Goals From The Heart

Someone once said that real success is to spend your life in your own way. When you follow your heart and do the things that you want to do you get to live a life of purpose aligned with who you really are, being true to your own values and beliefs. So many of us set our goals driven from our egos!  Especially when it comes to health & fitness. Most people set weight loss goals right? BUT they’re not actually doing it for themselves.  I was following a particular weight loss group on FaceBook recently and noticed how many of these women whinge & moan because their friend, collegues, partner, whoever hadn’t commented on their progress. I mean I even hear people complaining that their friends didn’t comment on their new house, car, shoes blah blah blah!! Get a friggin life PLEASE! Do stuff because it’s important to you, not to seek approval from others. This will never make you happy. If you’re not really doing it for you, you will never make it and if you do you won’t stay there. Stop! Let go of your ego. Put your hand on your heart and ask yourself “Is this really what I want?” And when you achieve your goal will you be so happy on the inside you won’t even think about seeking approval from others. Look into yourself and know the difference between looking for support and looking for approval.

Get Busy Planning & Organising

I know you’ve heard it before but it’s true when they say it’s all in the planning and preparation. When you plan for success  it makes all of the other steps so much easier. So write out your goals, put together an action plan and get yourself organised. Yes this stuff takes time and yes there will be times when you just can’t be arsed doing things like cooking your meals the night before but if you don’t you’ll be caught out and stressed out!

Be Disciplined

I’m going to blunt here (ha! not like me at all right ) but if there is something you really want to achieve you need to toughen up and just do it!  As Napolean Hill put it – don’t give in to negative influences, without doubt, the most common weakness of all human beings is the habit of leaving their minds open to the negative influence of other people. So suck it up and don’t expect people to take on your goals just to make it easier for you. These are YOUR GOALS. No one elses. End of story!

Discipline really is one of the greatest strengths you could ever master.

Practice Persistence

Or as I like to say create momentum and keep on moving forward. Someone once told me that momentum is like trying to push a boulder up a hill. If you take small steps and never stop you begin to create momentum, yeah it’s really hard to begin with but once you get it up that hill it’s all downhill from there. But if you stop even for a second that big arse boulder is going to send you right back to the bottom of the hill where you have to start all over again. This metaphor just made so much sense to me so I hope it works for you too. Just remember small steps people!

Be Mindful

We all rush around with our busy lifestyles, stuck in our heads and doing most things on auto pilot these days. I mean when was the last time you stopped and really “felt” your way through a situation? Lets take eating for example – do you smell your food before you put it in your mouth, feel the texture on your tongue, actually chew your food properly and savour all the flavours from that one mouthful? Or are you so focused on just shoving that next spoonful into your mouth you completely missed the whole event? When you start living in the present moment you get to enjoy life a whole lot more and you may even find a few things that you actually don’t enjoy that you do on a regular basis purely because it’s now just a habit… This one is pretty powerful and may just help you get rid of your vices.

Surround Yourself with Love & Support

Unfortunately we don’t always get the love and support we need from the people closest to us. A lot of the time they are the ones who say we’ll never make it. Sad but true! So get out and find yourself an amazing support network. Find a bunch of people who will cheer you on and be there for you no matter what. This is so easy now with the internet – we can connect with people anywhere and everywhere. When I first started my business I had no one – even those closest to me beat me down and told me to go get a real job! So I surrounded myself with like minded people – I got myself a business coach, I had a life coach and I conntected with other personal trainers, mentors and fitness professionals and I found most of these people on FaceBook. I owe FaceBook big time because without these people I would never have made it.

Make 2012 the year that you make shit happen because you decided to live your life on your terms. Enjoy & good luck!

Lots of love
Dicko Xxx

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