I’m not trying to rope you in by using an eye-catching title. New Year’s is just around the corner, and most people will inevitably fail at their goals. This usually happens for three reasons:
1️⃣ Reason One: The goal is not well defined.
When I meet someone for the first time and ask her, “What is your short-term goal?” and she responds with “Cardio,”,I want to bang my head repeatedly into the wall until I pass out in a pool of my own blood and vomit. Luckily, I’ve been doing this long enough to understand what “cardio” means; this person wants to lose fat, shape her body, be happy with the way she looks naked and in clothes, feel sexy in her own skin, gain copious amounts of vitality that transforms her life into something magical, get strong to maintain her quality of life so she’s never encumbered by age, stay physically, mentally, and sexually viable, be able to get out of the shower in the morning and have her significant other’s jaw hit the ground upon viewing, leading to a chase around the house that ends with her finally acquiescing and calling into work for a mental physical health day—you get the idea, I can do this forever. (FYI, this works for a new male client, too.)
The point is that “cardio” actually means a lot more than “cardio.” It is not a well-defined goal.
2️⃣ Reason Two: The goal is not realistic.
If you want to be able to do a chin-up, you will probably never accomplish this if you only want to dedicate two days per week to training. If you want to have a six pack, you will never succeed if you chow down on pizza and beer every Friday night. If you want to lose some stuffing around your midsection forever, you’re never going to achieve this by embarking on the latest diet fad or crash exercise program.
Your goal is only as realistic as what you’re willing to do to secure it.
3️⃣ Reason Three: The goal is not important to you.
It’s one thing to set a goal; it’s a different story to see it through. If my goal is to get an A+ in Math class (a clearly defined goal), I have to:
1. Show up to class and pay attention.
2. Do my homework EVERY night to improve comprehension.
3. Study my notes for increased retention.
4. Sleep well the night before my exam to relieve any tension. (I just wanted to rhyme one more time.)
If I do these things, I can guarantee an A+. If I skip my homework here and there, fall asleep during class lectures, don’t show up for enough classes, blow off studying because I’m getting my hair or nails done, or stay up late watching Netflix the night before my exam, my A+ dreams are as good as dead. Why? I breached my game plan because other things were more important to me than my goal. It doesn’t make me a bad person; it just makes the merit roll more realistic than the honor roll.
Putting it all together:
Kristen Perillo discussed last week how to simplify your long-term goals into smaller, measurable goals that you can control. You can see her article here.
Her approach is great, and I know a lot of people will be successful with it. Everyone is unique. I’m different, and here is how I’m approaching my goals. You can take any approach you want, but if my voice speaks to you, here’s how it’s going down:
I want to get stronger, look better naked, and live for a long time. Is this a broad goal? I don’t think so. If I can lift heavier weights, am more satisfied with the physique of the person staring back at me in the mirror, and feel great—those are tangible to me.
How am I going to do it? I will precisely undertake the steps below:
I’m going to have four pictures of myself taken in my underwear—front, back, left side, right side. I’m going to print those pictures out and tape them on my fridge where I can see them every day; on days when I don’t feel motivated, those pictures will serve as an accountability reminder.
I’m going to test my maximum lifts, on a few specific exercises, within a certain rep range (you’re going to have to wait until New Year for more information on this—you will do this too). I am going to train my ass off for three months and apply myself to my nutrition during this time as well. Here is what will happen, guaranteed:
1. I will retest my lifts within that certain rep range and be stronger. I don’t care if I’m 10lbs. stronger or 20lbs. stronger; if I work my hardest and continue to diligently train, I will continuously progress.
2. I will retake my pictures and look better. The same applies. I can’t control if my legs are ¼” bigger, ½” bigger, or my abs are 1/8” deeper—improvement is improvement. I’ll take it.
3. I will have momentum to do it again. Yea, buddy. I’ll keep advancing.
I like things simple, effective, and fun. Fun is a clutch part. Anyone who wants to do this with me is welcome. As we get closer to New Year’s, I will discuss with my clients how to structure their own goals. All this exciting information will be revealed eventually, but if you want to get started with some of the big building blocks now, shoot me a line or just click “like” on this post, and I’ll discuss it with you. Adventures are more fun when you have a team, and I’m certain this one is going to be a blast.
Start thinking of what goals are important to you, and jump onboard with me; I guarantee we will not fail. We will grab our goals by the throat and chokeslam them to the ground repeatedly, as we conquer, crush, and vanquish them, then ride away on a wave of achievement to even greater, more auspicious accomplishments, as the world turns.
About the author
Chris Rombola
Chris is the owner of Fit House. He's run the training departments at several commercial gyms, and after years of seeing how awful those environments were for his clients, he opened his own studio. He is devoted to getting people strong, lean, and healthy.
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