Let's Get Started: Goal Setting

One of the most important things to remember as you are setting your goals is to make them challenging, realistic, and specific. You’ll want to have a target date for the completion of your goal. Again… you need to be realistic! Don’t set out to run your first marathon on just two weeks of training, especially if you haven’t run a step since you suffered through the one mile-run test back in high school.

Setting some periodic, short-term goals will help keep you on the path to the successful completion of your long-term goals. These short-term goals will not only offer you increased opportunities for success, but they will also serve as a measuring stick to see how you are progressing towards your goal. These “stepping-stones” also give you a chance to modify your training program as you and/or your trainer see fit.

Finally, when setting my goals, I find it beneficial to my overall well-being if I choose to focus on outcomes that are mainly within my control. Rather than focusing on “winning”, (an outcome which is very much in the hands of others) I suggest you put your focus on achieving a personal best. I believe it is more important to consider yourself a winner for doing the best that you can do (and maybe learning something new or setting a personal best) rather than determining the level of your success and personal satisfaction by how you compared with everyone else.

After you’ve set your goals, go out and tell everyone that you know what you are planning on doing. It may seem a little silly, or possibly even embarrassing if by chance you weren’t able to accomplish your goal. The truth is, telling people is just another way of truly committing yourself. Once you start telling people your plan, it’s a lot harder to just give up when things get difficult. And you never know, you may inspire somebody else to believe in themselves and give something new a try!