Since it is now 2020, many people are thinking about exercising (more), eating (healthier), losing weight and more. An important part of achieving any new goal is setting achievable goals. What this means is to not start off shooting for the moon, rather begin with some (goal) that is more manageable. (i.e. start by focusing on losing those 1^st 5 pounds and not on the 25 pounds you ultimately want).

Setting that 1^st achievable goal is important because all too often people aim so high that they quickly become discouraged…And stop trying because they do not have the patience or persistence to see it through to the end. Think – have you ever made a resolution to do “X” only to stop after a few weeks because the end task seemed unattainable?)

Right – many people have. And that is why setting smaller (intermediate) goals helps many ultimately reach their BIG goals.

So, what is most important to you? What do you want to accomplish?

Write that down

Next – what are the pieces that will enable you to ultimately reach your goal? Meaning what small steps along the way can be achieved more easily?

For example: If your goal is to lose 20 pounds – how will you get there?

1. Reduce calories per day
2. Stop snacking
3. Or eat more healthy snacks
4. Exercise more

All these are pieces of the whole that will help the individual lose the weight they want. Making wholesale changes can be rather difficult but if the process is broken down – now we can see the pieces that will help the person reach their goal. Which do you think will be the easiest to start with?

Now begin there. Focus 1^st on one item and once you find your rhythm and are making changes in your daily life then tackle #2. Also again – focus on the small gains, those 1^st 5 pounds. Then once you achieve that, focus on the next. Try to avoid looking so far into the future that you miss the positive gains along the way only to become frustrated. And before you know it, you will have achieved your ultimate goal by 1^st setting achievable goals and then checking them off.

Here is to achieving your goals in 2020.