Goal Setting & Habit Building
A guy approached my friend to express his interest in me. She quickly told him, “She is the kind of girl where you are going to need goals, a plan, and a vision to get with her.” Knowing that someone else recognized my commitment to improvement, gave me a sense of pride in the way I projected myself to the world. Conversely, I felt unworthy of this compliment because there were so many goals that I struggled to accomplish. Leaning into the struggle helped me to understand the importance of goal-setting and habit-building.
I would not say goal setting and habit building are two sides of the same coin when it comes to self-improvement. However, I would say they live in the same community and maybe on the same street. When a person wants to change, achieve, or grow they envision themselves differently from where they are. They understand the gap between the one who envisions and the one who is. To bridge that gap some set goals, build habits, shift mindset, and invite new practices, to become.
My fitness journey has taught me the power of building a habit and sticking to it. My approach to fitness completely changed when I hired a trainer. His approach was simple but effective. “Keep coming” and “You don’t look bad at all.” He admonished me not to pay attention to the scale or my body fat composition. Simply, “keep coming” and “ you don’t look bad at all”. These encouragements kept me invested for a year! By summer, I was extremely proud of my body and progress. In this case, focusing on a goal was demoralizing and caused useless self-loathing keeping me in a never-ending cycle of mountains, valleys, and plateaus. I did not have the mindset, habits, or knowledge to reach my desired physique. I needed to build a consistent fitness practice and focus on the habit, not the goal. With time and the right focus, I was able to achieve what I had spent years sulking about. Sometimes the goal is not the actual target and the journey is what you need.
On the other hand, I have been able to consistently make financial feats with goal setting. Soon after undergrad, I started to deep dive into YouTube channels on financial education. After I developed my strategy for financial growth, I set goals for saving and investing. I utilized the SMART goal method and I recorded my goals in a journal. Pinpointing exactly what I wanted to see in my bank account at the end of each year, month, and pay period challenged me to develop specific money management practices that would help me meet my target. With some elbow grease, education, and clarity I was able to accumulate the money I wanted. Sometimes you need to spell out exactly what you want to chart your course to success.
Find out what works best for you and your situation and achieve!
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