Goal setting is an extremely important component in your pursuit to live a healthy and happy lifestyle. With that being said, setting these goals and putting in the work to achieve them are two different things. Setting goals isn’t the problem for most of us. That’s the simple part. Executing these goals is where many people run into trouble.

Below are some tips to motivate, encourage, and help you pursue your goals.

Don’t Fear Failure: While training, you will have good days and bad. Some days, you’re thrilled to go get better and other days, you’re not over the moon to train. Not every day is going to go as planned and this is all part of the process in achieving your goals. Each defeat or setback you endure along the way is a learning experience that makes the journey itself so special. It isn’t always a smooth journey, but it is a rewarding one once you reach your destination.

Identify Progress:  Is your mile time improving? Are you increasing weight while lifting at the gym? Be conscious of these improvements, document them, and build off of them. There are dozens of apps that allow you to track goals and help you build a routine. Take advantage of them. It is a humbling feeling knowing that your hard work is paying off, but the journey does not stop there. This progress should motivate you even more. Keep pushing yourself and reach further than you originally thought you could.

Stay Focused: You’ll inevitably lose focus from time to time. It is human nature to get distracted easily. We need to understand the negative impacts of these distractions and limit them while we are training. There are many ways we can do this. Set a time limit for how long you are going to train and lock in for this allocated time period. Put all distractions aside during this time and focus on the task at hand. Also, write your goals on post-its and stick them where you will see them. Visualizing and seeing your goals written down throughout the day will create a sense of anticipation and excitement for your next training session.

Stay Disciplined: In order to remain motivated and energized each day, you need to make sure you don’t burn yourself out. It is important to push yourself, but you need to individually discover your own breaking point. Emotional exhaustion can negatively affect your progress and set you back even further. There are days your brain will tell you to skip that workout or to order the greasy takeout for dinner. Train your brain to counter these thoughts. Treat your body right to remain consistently motivated. Eating healthy, drinking TONS of water (half your body weight in ounces daily), stretching throughout the day, and getting enough sleep each night (8 hours) are just a few things that can keep you at the top of your game.

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