New Year, New Goals. Goal Setting Tips and Success Strategies.

Aaaaahhhhhh!  That's the sound of my relief that the holidays are over!  Don't get me wrong.  I love the holidays, love to see my family and travel.  But I also love my normal, everyday life and am happy to get back to it.

I was away for 2 weeks.  I worked out a grand total of 4 times (5 if you count the 10 minute resistance band/push up/lunge workout I did in the hotel room on one of our travel days).  Thanks to my fitness-focused lady, or I may not have worked out once.  I'm being honest here.  I'm just like everybody else - when it comes to working out when traveling, I find it VERY difficult to do.

I'm also like most everybody else in that I indulge at the holidays.  I ate my mom's famous rice pudding, my Gramma's awesome Christmas cookies, and my dad's fantastic (NOT low calorie) cooking.  I also consumed more calories from alcohol during those 2 weeks than I probably do during the rest of the year combined!  It's time to recommit and refocus.  It's time to set new goals.

People often say to me things like, "Well, you can eat whatever you want.  You're lucky."  I'm going to let you in on a secret:  I'm getting older.  Like it or not, my metabolism is slowing down.  If I want to look and feel my absolute best, I have to focus and practice what I preach.

I'm kind of "ranting" today.  I wanted to talk about goal setting and share some of my process.  I actually LOVE the New Year.  I love the process of reflecting on the year passed and setting goals for the year ahead.  To me, life is a game to be played full-tilt.  I truly believe the sky's the limit and you can create your destiny.

I know there's a lot of talk in wellness circles that resolutions are a recipe for failure.  Year in and year out, people resolve to do vague and general things like "lose weight", "go to the gym more", and "quit smoking".  While I agree with this, I also think it's important not to censor yourself when writing your goals.  So, first things first:  get a notebook!  I have a shelf full of old, black composition notebooks that I use for journals.  If you don't write, get into the habit.  It is a very powerful tool in manifesting your dreams and desires.  I can say from experience that I have, many, many times, written down specific things I've wanted and they have come to fruition.  I can't explain how it works, but it does.

Of course, many of the things I write down do not happen in the time or manner I imagine them.  That's cool, too.  That's the game of life.  It's important not to confine yourself to your vision.  Sometimes, the Universe gives you opportunities in ways you could not have thought.  Be open to that possibility.

Okay, so back to me and my goals.  I took pics.  I should post but I'll wait until I have 'after' pics with appreciable changes :-)  I have gained a layer of fat, for sure.  I weighed in at 178 lbs.  My goal weight in 4 weeks is 172.  6 lbs in 4 weeks.  I'm going to get strict with the diet.  I actually find that letting myself go a little bit motivates me even more.

So, here are some goal setting techniques:

• Brainstorm!  Be creative and don't limit yourself.  If you are making financial goals, add 20% to the income you made last year.  If you think it's impossible, that's part of the fun!  In just writing down the goal you are creating the possibility, the spark that may push you to ask, "hmm, what can I do this year to increase my revenue?"  The act of writing it down creates the incentive.
• Get specific.  After you've free associated some goals and how you'd like your life to look like in the coming year, see where you can take specific actions toward a vague goal.  For example, if your goal is to quit smoking, write down the concrete actions you can take toward this goal.  Making an appointment with your doctor to discuss using "the patch" is a concrete action toward the general goal of quitting smoking.  If your goal is to lose 50 pounds, it's great that you've set the "big vision", but now let's break it down into smaller, more measurable increments infused with concrete actions.  For example, you can set a preliminary goal of 10 pounds in 6-8 weeks and setting an appointment with a good personal trainer to ask for help.  Including a time frame is important in order to keep the goal from "wandering away".
• Set goals in ALL areas of your life, not just the physical or the financial.  How can you improve your social life and love relationships?  Again, specificity is key.  I'll give a personal example:  A few years ago I wrote down that I wanted a "sexual relationship with a beautiful, sexy woman".  I didn't specify that I wanted a relationship with someone who was available for a committed relationship.  Well, the universe delivered exactly what I asked for.  I had an intense fling with someone who was ultimately not available for a committed relationship.  I learned from that experience and the next year I asked for a "healthy, loving, nurturing relationship with a beautiful, sexy woman".  The universe gave me exactly that in my lady, Star.  I know it sounds hokey, but there is tremendous power in writing down your goals, wants and desires.  The more specific, the better chance it'll be realized.

So, here are a few of my goals for the year in addition to my physical goals.  I'm listing them here so I can be accountable to them.  Just because I write them down doesn't mean they will happen.  But it's a huge first step.

2011

• Add 5 new clients to my business (I can ask myself what specific actions can I take to bring in 5 new people)
• Get book published / get literary agent for my fitness book (specific actions are to solicit 25 literary agents with an interest in health and fitness)
• Work as guest star on TV show (I can add to my reel, attend CD workshops, and foster relationships I already have with Casting Directors)
• Travel someplace I've never been (I'm feeling Costa Rica)
• Perform 2 original songs at an open mic night
• Perform a stand-up routine (specific action here is to research and sign up for a stand-up comedy class)
• Generate $xx revenue from website (new website in works)
• Hit 10 HR in summer league
• Cultivate online training clientele
• Put $xx away in non-retirement savings
• See my movie "The Pretty Boys" on a big screen at a Film Festival
• Get a new flat screen TV with wi-fi capability
• Get a platform bed for bedroom

See how I'm kind of all over the place here?  To me, that's great:  put it all out there.  I want to make improvements in all areas of my life.  I've included things that scare me to death, but that I know I will help me grow (stand-up comedy, perform songs live).  And, of course, I've included material and financial goals.  Some of these goals, I have NO control over (I have zero control over whether any film festival will screen my movie) but I really want to see it happen so I write it down and picture it happening.  Can't hurt.

So, there.  I just wanted to share some of the goal setting that I do. This turned into a philosophical post, but that's where I'm at.  I love the new year and the resolutions that come with it.  It is a time of renewal.  It's a time to reflect on what you were able to achieve and what has still eluded you in the past year (this is the 3rd year in a row I've written about performing open mic).  Have fun with it.  Truly, like a work of art, you can shape and create your life. 

Happy New Year!