How To Be a Goal Digger

In Episode 7, we chatted about goals, and mentioned an article from Lululemon’s blog about making your 10-Year Vision. Along with a lot of very practical advice on how to identify and write down your vision, one of the lines really caught my attention: “This is not your practice life, people. This is it.”

Well ok then. Maybe it really IS high time to set some goals. And not just any goals, but the real, official kind of goals that you learn about at Student Council Camp (or maybe that’s just Claire?). Obviously, there are always different strokes for different folks, especially when it comes to something as personal as goal setting, but it’s true, some goal setting strategies have been proven to be more effective than others. In a nutshell, here is all the “official” crap that we know about goal setting:

Set SMART Goals. SMART = Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant/Results-Based, and Time-bound. For example, maybe your goal is “I want to get stronger” Well, to turn that into a SMART goal, you might instead say, “My goal is to have a bodyweight clean by the end of 2013.” You get the idea.

Use language to talk about your goals in the present tense. So, instead of saying “I will have a bodyweight clean by the end of 2013,” you would say “I have a bodyweight clean by the end of 2013.” Grammatically this is a minor abomination (cringe), but it’s supposed to help you visualize your goal as something that is already a part of who you are, instead of just something that you are trying to do.

And finally, write down your goals and put them somewhere you will see them every day, or even multiple times a day, like on your bathroom mirror, your car steering wheel, or next to your computer at work. And tell lots of people about your goals, because it will help you stay accountable and make your goals feel more REAL.

One final tip (which comes directly to you from Student Council Camp, as a matter of fact), is, every once in a while, to set yourself a BHAG (pronounced BeeHag). Yep, a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Go for it, write down that goal that you have always had floating in the back of your mind but you’ve spent months, years, even decades, making excuses to yourself about. Whether it’s to go back to school, to chop off all your hair, to write a novel… It’s time to write that sucker down and start making it a reality. Remember that line about this not being your practice life? This is it, people. This is the real deal. And if not now… then when?

And, just in case you need some more inspiration to write your goals, Julie Foucher just wrote THIS amazingly inspirational post about confidence, goal setting, and not being afraid to declare that you are going for the big one. She doesn’t have the fancy Student Council Camp acronym, but the idea is the same: It’s time to stop coddling yourself and time to get to work.

So… here they are. Our goals. Loud and clear for the world to hear/see/judge/enjoy/love/disagree with/be inspired by/any and all of the above. Here goes nothin.

From Claire:

Guys, I have been stuck in some life mud recently (which you can read all about over here if you’re interested). The amount of direction I have in my life right now is approximately zero, and it’s a problem. So, while some of these goals are smaller, physical goals, even I was surprised by the BHAG that shows up on this list. But, surprised in a good way. So, here ya go!

Claire’s Goals:

1. I have a bodyweight clean & jerk by January 1, 2014
2. I have a 100# snatch by January 1, 2014 – with no starfish involved!!
3. I can do 1 Muscle Up by January 1, 2014
4. I have completed the CISSN Cert by March 1, 2014
5. I have finished writing that eBook I’ve been meaning to write about how to start a blog that doesn’t suck by November 1, 2014
6. I have finished writing the first draft of the book I’ve been meaning to write about surviving your 20s by June 1, 2014

And finally, the BHAG… Deeeeep breath…

I AM A REGISTERED DIETITIAN BY JANUARY 1, 2018. (Bam! Feels kinda awesome to write that one down.)

From Joy:

Hey!! As I said in the podcast I suck at writing down specific goals. I LOVE reading about goal inspiration and words of wisdom but I quickly forget all of that motivation and fall back in to my daily routine boring habits. Writing out my goals was a fanstasic exercise! Especially having Claire by my side to hold me accountable (no pressure, Claire…). Grab a friend, share your goals and let’s kick some serious tail!!

Joy’s Goals:

1. I have a Muscle Up by December 31, 2013
2. I have read “Daring Greatly” and “Lean In” by October 1, 2013
3. I have visited the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Denver by November 30, 2013 (I drive by that dang thing all the time and OMG I want to gooooooo)
4. I have completed my therapy dog training with CCI and am practicing animal-assisted therapy daily (by December 1, 2013)
5. I have run the Denver Rock ‘n Roll half-marathon and I FEEL AWESOME (October 20, 2013)
6. I am regularly practicing yoga 2-3 times per week by September 10th (my birthday!) 2013. My 36-year-old body says “thank you Joy”. And I really want to sit cross-legged without crying.

BHAG………..yikes! This is something I’m still researching and considering and…..I’m stalling to say it in goal-y language……BUT…….. I have a PhD in Behavioral Psychology. WHAT? I have a solid decision by January 1, 2014. DUDE!!!

Ok, folks… cough it up… What are your goals?? We will share some BHAGs on next week’s podcast!