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Written By: Dean Esser

Goals. What is a Goal? How do I set Goals? How do I achieve goals? We all know what a goal is, but how to achieve a goal is where we get lost. When we get lost on how to succeed, the goal gets lost and it’s nothing more than a forgotten hope of what we wanted to accomplish.

So how do we achieve a goal? Once you set your goal, the key is setting Measurable Goals to achieve that goal. The main difference between a Measurable Goal and a Goal is the Measurable Goal gives you precise actions or steps to take you closer to your goal. They are specific targets to achieve your goal.

The next key is to start off by setting very simple, understandable tasks to complete. Creating simple and easy actions will give you a feeling of accomplishment on your way to the finish line.

Here are some examples:

Say my goal is weight loss and my first step is to drink more water every day. Even setting a goal of drinking 10 water bottles per day is probably too complicated as I will probably lose track and then the task to get me drinking more water will be lost and thus leave me frustrated. Now, just setting a goal of drinking more water every day is even worse, as I probably don’t know how much water I drink on average per day. If I set a goal of drinking 3 water bottles before noon. This is an easy goal, an achievable goal and a measurable goal. If I drink 3 water bottles before noon, there is a very, very high likelihood I will drink more water then I normally do, therefore completing a task to get me one step closer to my ultimate goal of weight loss.

Now, what if I’m a Health Coach trying to have a client lose weight. My client shows up on Monday and did not lose weight over the weekend. I want to get that client’s weight loss moving so she is down 2lbs by Friday morning. Obviously, I would give many tips and recommendations on how to succeed, but one of the easiest tasks to make into a Measurable Goal is her cardio. I need her to complete 3 – 30 minute cardios before Friday morning. When I see her on Wednesday, I ask her ‘How many 30 minute cardios have you done so far?’ If she says 1, I instruct her that we need to get a cardio in tonight then and 1 more tomorrow to have 3 cardios before Friday Morning. This is an easy goal, an achievable goal, a measurable goal and even better – an easy task for me to follow up on.

Setting small, obtainable, easy tasks, not only simplifies the process and gives us a sense of accomplishment. It also gives us the precise actions and steps to take us closer to our goals. Whether you want to hit the gym, lose weight, buy a house or run a successful business. Whatever the goal at hand, setting measurable goals will give you steps to reaching your ultimate goal. And there is nothing more rewarding then that ultimate goal.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”