The more specific your goals the more likely you are to not achieve them. Just be S.M.A.R.T. about it.

The more specific your goals the more likely you are to not achieve them. Just be S.M.A.R.T. about it.

By Brett “The Bong Bong Doc” Judd

When I mentioned this blog post idea to my wife this morning, she got that “look”.  You know, the one like a Labrador gives you—one brow raised and the head twisted to one side. But the fact is, the more specific and absolute you make your resolution or goal, the more variables there are that will knock you off track. If that is your reaction, you will want to read the rest and know that to assist you have success this year, we are giving over $100 in free services.

                So this is what I am talking about.  This morning on the radio, my favorite D.J., Liza Raley, was discussing how to make a resolution that will work.  She said it had to be specific and gave the example “I will lose 5 pounds a month and look great in my swim suit this summer.”  Unfortunately, this type of affirmation/resolution will be met with disaster in less than 3 months.  Here is why.

1.        The control and regulation of how much weight the body will lose is not in our control.  The way that the body will react to a change in diet, a change in activity, and the stress that comes from this change will outweigh any control we believe we have on the process.

2.       The first weight loss is generally easy.  A five pound a week drop for two weeks is not unheard of, but when the body has to begin burning off long-term stored fat, it is harder to achieve a specific weight target.

3.       Lean mass and fatty mass weigh differently and will alter the way the scale reflects your progress.  Unless you are just going without food and forcing the body to waste off fat and muscle, there will be a conversion from fatty mass to lean mass.  If you are including exercise and diet in your plan, it is realistic for a person to lose three pounds of fat but gain a pound of muscle in one week.  The scale would only show a two pound drop – less than half the goal. If the goal is to look good in the swimsuit, then adding lean muscle mass would enhance the look, but will alter the way the scale reflects your progress. So, only focusing on pounds lost would indicate a failure to reach the goal of five pounds lost per week, increasing stress, and impacting motivation.

4.       The goal is not time - limited with a specific target date.  “To look good in my swimsuit this summer” is an arbitrary end time. Does this imply the first of June or the end of August?  Because of this undefined deadline, focus and energy cannot be maintained indefinitely.

If you are reading this with the same skeptically twisted head and raised eyebrow as my wife had this morning, you’ll want to keep reading.  Because there are very specific and powerful ways that you can meet the swimsuit goal.

These methods place the control in your hands and eliminate many of the barriers and uncontrollable issues that will arise.  These non-specific specifics follow the S.M.A.R.T. model of goal setting.  These are:

1.       S Specific.  The goal must state a specific task of behavior that you are in total control over.  In the weight loss example, I have shown that you are not in control of the specific pounds lost, but you are in total and absolute control over some things that will affect the weight loss. This type of specific goal could look like this:

a.       I will exercise every day.  Note that a length of time or the type of exercise is purposely not stated.  This allows for unforeseen barriers like illness, work schedule, travel, etc.  No matter where you, are you can always find a few moments to do push-ups and sit-ups, or planking. This flexibly rigid goal language allows you to adjust the routine, but still meet the goal.

b.      I will eat foods that are best for my body in the proper portions and at times when my body needs them.  This example again models a plan that is flexibly rigid.  Learning what is right for your body is more powerful and nourishing than a specific diet or food.  Eating when your body needs to and in portions it needs, will keep your insulin and leptin levels balanced allowing the body to burn fats instead of storing calories as fats (read more on this here).  This also allows you the flexibility to be able to go to a business lunch, or eat with friends and not be worried about having the “right” foods.

2.       M Measurable. To maintain the energy needed to continue past the first 2-3 weeks of any goal, there must be a way to measure success and track the progress.  Not only will this maintain motivation, it will also inform you as to the effectiveness of certain variables.  It is important to determine what variables you will be measuring in your quest for success in your goal attainment.

a.       I will track my progress and success daily and weekly by keeping a food dairy each day, and weigh and measure each week including body fat testing.  This tracking allows you to determine how effective you have been at maintaining the goal behavior, and how they have been able to effect the change you desire.  Another measure that might be added is a satisfaction scale to determine how much satisfaction the meals are, the work outs have been, etc.

3.       A Attainable.  The goal that you are seeking must be attainable in the time frame that you are seeking to complete it in.  If I am 50-60 pounds over an ideal beach body, I need to seriously consider the safety and reality of being ready for a bikini or a Speedo in the next 6 months (or ever, in my case).  Beyond things such as length of time and the target of the goal, other aspects of attainability are the physical and mental barriers that stand in the way. Weight is a matter of brain function and balance as much as it is a matter of diet and exercise. We have seen many of our clients who complete Neuro-Balancing with Brainwave Optimization begin losing weight as the brain balancing allows the body to regulate itself.

3.a.  An alternative A is Accountability.  Being accountable to someone is a major success factor for many goals.  Without reporting progress to someone who will hold you accountable and establish action oriented plans for achieving the goal, it is too easy to lose sight of the goal. To assist you to have success this year, we are giving over $100 in free services.
Follow this link or see more below. http://app.greenrope.com/coupon.pl?c=444c6d9fdbc1e73b80da4c6ce909216c

4. R Realistic and/or relevant.  Very similar to attainable, the goal must be relevant to your current situation.  It must also be realistic.  There are things that we would like to do, and then there are things we can do within certain time frames and certain parameters (like me in a Speedo).  We must be realistic in the expectations in order to maintain hope and energy.

5. T Time limited. The shorter the better!  To say, “I will work out every day and eat according to my needs for 6 weeks” is a definite time and does not become daunting or never-ending.  A goal that is too long range will lose its meaning after a while.  Keeping the goal time-limited will make it attainable and realistic.  At the six week mark you can then evaluate your progress and establish a new goal.  These short bursts keep tension on the goal as well.  If the goal is too long term, it is easy to think you have lots of time and so you never really get started.

In order to assist our readers in achieving their New Year’s resolutions and goals, we offer these free daily blogs and public Friday noon-time web meetings.  For more accountability and personalized success, we also offer private and personally focused success coaching sessions that will provide goal evaluation and revision by email, face-to-face or web chat consultation sessions, access to the Members Only data base, and a 45 minute brainwave balancing mental focus session.  When purchased individually these services are over $200, but for a very limited time, we are holding open a few slots at the ridiculously low price of $125.  For over two hours of personal, professional coaching, this is an unheard of bargain and can set you off on the right foot to make even more than your investment in the first few weeks of the New Year. The coupon link below is only good until January 15, 2013, so do not delay.

This is what you will receive:

HALF-PRICE SUCCESS COACHING WITH BRAINWAVEW BALANCING SESSION

AMAZING SAVINGS and guaranteed success in making 2013 your best year ever.

What you will receive for a small $125 investment in your success.

·          1 email-based goal and affirmation review session with analysis and recommendation.  Includes one follow up email.

·          1 30-minute face-to-face (or web-based video) conference.

·          1 45-minute brainwave balancing mental focus session at An Open Mind Pocatello, or in Idaho Falls at Integris Integrative Medical Center.

·          Access to the Members Only Success Coaching resource web page. Full of videos and articles focused on establishing change and success in every area of your life.

·          1 audio success CD focusing on topics and techniques to establish real change.

Total value of this package is $224.95 when purchased separately. 

Claim one of the very limited coupons here.
  http://app.greenrope.com/coupon.pl?c=444c6d9fdbc1e73b80da4c6ce909216c

Tomorrow I will address a notion that many overlook when setting goals and making resolutions—the fact that we all fail in these endeavors. I will address the idea that it is okay that we fail in these endeavors, and that we should plan for—and anticipate that we will fail.  If that does not excite you to read more, I don’t know what will.  So until tomorrow, here’s to your success – and failure.

Brett “The Bong Bong Doc” Judd