I’ve been running. Running. Those who knew me in school wouldn’t believe it. The girl who walked the mile on the fitness test in 8th grade? The one who hated (and refused) to run? Of course, running is healthy: it’s a great way to lose weight and prevent problems like breast cancer, stroke and bone loss. It’s also easy to do and it’s inexpensive. Running can be done a variety of ways: with a dog, with a group, fast and intense or long and steady. I have even attempted a running program before, but never made it past the second week. Now I am on the forth week of my running plan. Before this week I have never run one mile, on Tuesday I ran over a mile, at a 12 minute/mile pace. I am also eating better, I am losing weight again, I am reaching out socially, for the first time in my life I want to improve my sparring skills.
What changed?
I want my black belt.
Before I would have had running, daily quiet time, exercise the dogs, eat healthier, reach out to others and improving Taekwondo skills as individual goals.
But now I have one goal (ok, I have two). I re-started Taekwondo lessons last summer (after seven years) and I am eligible for my black belt test in November. Getting a black belt in my Martial Arts school is not easy, you need two resumes, a technical paper, community service, teaching hours, knowing all your curriculum, running two miles in 20 minutes, etc. This is a big, complex goal, and one I am totally committed to, that I know I can accomplish.
Chain Reaction
It’s amazing how many areas of our lives are interwoven. Obviously, I want to be an excellent martial artist and earn my black belt. Losing the excess weight I have would go a long ways toward my speed and agility. I tend to overeat for emotional reasons or simply boredom. But I notice that when I start the day by focusing on the most important thing in my life (my faith in God) I don’t overeat and I lose weight. So I have an additional strong motivation not to skip my daily quiet time, without adding another goal. Because of this, I am less angry, more upbeat and a better parent, wife and friend. So now what appears to be a physical goal affects my spiritual and emotional sides, as well as positively impacting my relationships.
I have noticed other benefits. My dogs are happier, healthier and better behaved because they run or walk with me at least four times a week. My endurance has soared, making playing with my children easier. My old clothes are starting to fit again. I am attending Taekwondo classes more consistently - little things don’t stop me from coming. I am waking up earlier.
How Many Goals
I used to set 8, 10 or more goals at a time, and rarely complete them. Having one or two main goals is much easier to focus, and the goals are bigger. Besides my black belt, I have one other goal: to increase my business income tenfold.
- Pick just one or two big goals.Chose something you want badly, something you are more than willing to pay the price to achieve; something that will make a huge difference in your life.
- Remember the acronym S.M.A.R.T. Make your goals specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed.
- Know that You Can Achieve Your Goal. You must really know you want the goal badly enough to change and that you are capable of making the changes; otherwise a 30 day trail might be better. Making a black belt my main goal when I first started (and had four years of training to go) would have been a vague, abstract goal - was I even sure I wanted a black belt? But with my next belt test being my black belt, the goal is very real and worthwhile.
- Change you focus.Think of your other, smaller goals as projects or hobbies - at least for a while. Don’t completely forget them, but don’t base your success on doing them. If you get them done (after working on your main goal), great! If not, there is always tomorrow (or that item may be a great main goal in the future).
The Benefits of Focus
- New Habits. Developing new habits is (almost) effortless when they are part of a larger goal. You don’t need to make “Get up 30 minutes earlier” a separate goal: if you need to wake up sooner, you’ll do it without needing to remove your energy and focus from your primary goal.
- Victory in Multiple Areas. A big goal will affect many areas of life - physical, emotional, relationships, financial, etc.
- More Fun and Motivation. Setting a big, complex goal of getting my black belt in 8 months is more exciting than: “I will exercise 30 minutes everyday.”
- Character Development. It can be argued that achieving most goals builds character. However, if you are short on something like self-discipline, a highly motivating goal can make up for your weakness, enabling you to complete the goal and develop your character.
- Even Failure has Benefits. If you only achieve half of a big goal, you will still benefit. Even if I don’t get my black belt this year, I have run a mile, built a habit of exercising myself and the dogs, discovered the benefits of focusing on what’s most important every day, greatly increased my self-discipline, lost weight and learned a lot about myself. And I’m in a better position to achieve my next goal.
So what are you going to accomplish this year?
