Goal Setting Is Step One. To reach your goals, the secret lies in the TRACKING.
Do you collect goals like hobbies? Be real- have you created lists upon lists of goals- for your body, for your relationship, for your job, for your business? Do you have more lists of goals than you do dates on your calendar where you actually REACHED THE FINAL DESTINATION of achieving what you wanted?
You aren’t alone. I was that person for years, and frankly, I was that person– setting lots of goals and buying lots of pretty notebooks and fancy pens (don’t get me wrong, your girl still does that) and luscious organizers with stickers (don’t judge me) — and I’d fill the first few pages with my lofty goals.
I want to achieve my optimal body fat level.
I want to 10x my income.
I want to meet the love of my life.
I want to be debt free.
Do any of these sound familiar to you? I’m certain you may have had similar goals.
Here’s the sad truth. I’ve had many of these goals for 10+ years. I’ll keep it real for you. With the exception of one (I DID meet the love of my life and that’s a manifestation story I’ll share in upcoming posts– be sure you are subscribed!) – I do not have a date on the calendar where I achieved those goals.
Damn.
The good news is this: I now know why I have been in a familiar pattern of maintaining vs. progressing. I now know the bad habits I was embracing and the best practices I was NOT embracing are precisely what kept me holding steady…in the middle.
If you are not progressing toward your goals, you are languishing. That's called being STUCK. And there's a solution for that.
Being stuck in the “middle” sucks. There’s no easy way to say it. You have dreams and aspirations and you are working– right– you know you are working, but more often than not you have those a-ha moments of “Dang. Another December and I’m starting another weight loss resolution!” or, “OMG. I told myself I’d have this debt paid off by the time I was 30 and now I’m 33 what am I DOING??”.
Cheer up, friends. I’m here to help.
The problem that most of us have when it comes to reaching our goals is we don’t anchor our warm fuzzy dreams and aspirations into a concrete PLAN.
How many of you have thought about the big goal– whether it’s getting to your ideal body fat or losing 10lbs or paying off your student loans, or starting your own blog/website, or becoming an amazing photographer — and then you found yourself later frustrated AF because you realize you are always wishing for that goal but you haven’t gotten there?
- But you- bought the gym membership and maybe went to Lululemon for some fabulous workout gear because you knew it would make you motivated.
- But you bought a camera.
- But you read an article on paying off debt and then listened to a podcast about it.
Yea. I’ve been there. I am RIDICULOUSLY TALENTED at….STARTING.
To reach your goals, you MUST have a plan. More importantly, you have to TAKE ACTION.
People, trust me when I say, this quote above is so spot on it’s scary. Far too many of us spend way too much time, after identifying our fancy goals and dreams, in the PLANNING phase. That phase where you research EVERYTHING and buy books and listen to podcasts and watch YouTube video tutorials and buy 5 different online classes about complementary topics to help you….
HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?
I have. It’s a place located at the intersection of PERFECTIONISM Street and FEAR Avenue.
Yes. When you spend days and weeks and months in START mode– planning and researching and studying vs. TAKING BIG ACTION, you are likely operating from a combination of FEAR and PERFECTIONISM.
Perfectionism is the enemy of progress.
Take it from me, the Perfectionist Queen. If you are obsessed with everything about your goal- whether it’s reaching your ideal weight or starting a new business or attacking your debt– if you feel that everything has to be perfect before you take action — you will NEVER GET THERE.
What does that look like? Let me give you an example of me and my fitness goals in the past.
I’d want to reach my own Ashley Horner version my physique. I’ve purchased pretty much every Ashley Horner workout she’s published. Then I’d start my RESEARCHING. I’d read through the program — convincing myself I had to “really do this PERFECTLY this time to reach my goal”– have you said that? I’d go to Ashley’s Facebook group and get caught up for HOURS many days reading success stories of other people and finding out everything they did so I could copy that. I’d shop at Lululemon for more workout clothes. I’d watch Ashley Horner videos on YouTube and then obsess about how I would do those programs at the gym without a partner. Then that would worry me, that I couldn’t do it perfectly so I’d research how to do the workout at home. Then I’d discover one move that required equipment I didn’t have. THAT led to- more research on equipment I could buy. Then I’d research all the recipes and then I’d shop for better protein powder and flour alternatives.
I’m telling you. The above is not an exaggeration. And each day while I was in this research mode I often gave myself a pass- to not work out because “shit is about to get REAL Kelly, enjoy your life now before this diet starts!!”– so I’d slack off and eat bad food.
Do you see the big picture? I have big goals and then I settle into START/RESEARCH/EVERYTHING MUST BE PERFECT MODE and my progression toward the goal takes two steps BACK not forward.
FAIL.
ACTION and TRACKING are the best guarantees for reaching your goals.
You see how this is a long road to nowhere. So what do we do, to effectively reach our goals and not take a decade to do so?
TAKE ACTION.
TRACK ALL YOUR ACTIVITY.
That sounds simple and it is- but simple is not always easy. This takes time and effort and you must force yourself to be committed and accountable. Let me tell ya, I told myself for YEARS “I really should journal….people say it’s so good for you”- and I never stuck to it. Until I made A COMMITMENT to myself to journal every morning for 2-3 pages M-F. I’ve done this now for 3 months straight. When you make a promise to yourself and commit to it, it’s received by your brain more favorably than “you really SHOULD do this or that”– right?
Identifying your goals and dreams is the easy part.
Figuring out your action plan to GET THERE (stay tuned, that’s a blog post coming up I promise) is the next big step. But the most important step– TRACK WHAT YOU DO EACH DAY. It can take whatever form you want. Some people track publicly on social media. Some like spreadsheets. Some like hand written journals. Make some form of RECORDED data– of all your activity.
Why? You do this for 2 reasons.
- WHILE you are pursuing your goals, tracking them in whatever form works best for you is a constant reminder that you are making progress– it’s tangible evidence for your brain to feel “I’m DOING THIS” and inertia occurs. A body at rest……you know the drill. Get your mind and body understanding that you are MOVING FORWARD and give yourself PROOF every day.
- AFTER you have achieved success- you keep your records because I guarantee you- down the road you’ll want to reference “How did I get so lean back in 2017?” or “How did I ever pay off $35K of debt in 3 months….I’m there again!”
Friends, tracking your activity is a game changer. I’ve been tracking my workouts for years and it keeps me GOING. And I have used my books/records/calendars for reference more times than I can count.
Watch this video below to learn more about how and why I’m taking my TRACKING up a notch.
So– did this post strike a chord with you? Have you been like me in the past– languishing in the middle and not getting anywhere? Are you ready to start TRACKING your way to success? Let me know in the comments below. And if this post was helpful for you, I’d so appreciate you sharing with your friends that need it– THANK YOU! See you soon- I’m back!!
Below are some of the tracking/organizing tools I bought and am rather obsessed with. Please enjoy this shopportunity.