“Where there is no vision, the people perish…”
Proverbs 29:18

I know of many ways to succeed, but one surefire way to fail is to not set clearly defined goals and objectives. Knowing what you want is the first step to getting what you want. This may sound simple, but in reality it is one of the more esoteric questions one can ask. “What do you want?”…”What do I want?”…”WHAT DO I WANT!”. You may find your self frustrated with the elusive answer to this question because asking this

question goes far beyond the simple “lose 10 pounds” or “pack on 20 pounds of muscle. It evokes questions of meaning, fulfillment, and passion. This post is intended to be a guide in answering this question.

Suggestion 1: DREAM
A very close friend and mentor of mine seems to play the role of the little green good guy on my shoulder. One of the principles he has infused on to my basal ganglia is the permission to dream. Most people don’t allow themselves to dream. If you are fifty pounds over weight, the thought of losing it seems impossible. Will it be a long hard road? Absolutely, but it’s more than possible and more than worth it. Don’t handicap yourself before you start. let yourself dream.

Suggestion 2: DEFINE
Define your goals. Start with a pencil. Humans typically solve problems from a analytical perspective or left brain perspective. The physical act of writing utilizes the more creative right side of the brain and can bring solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems. Steven Covey, in his landmark book 7 habits of highly effective people, which I recommend to every one I’v ever met, suggests to define your roles and make goals that are congruent with those roles. In other words If you’re an olympic power lifter than you will have drastically different goals from a triathlete and those differences are based on separate roles.

Suggestion 3: DELINEATE
Delineate your goals. Put a time limit on your goals. Timothy Ferris suggest not making them so far in the future that it inhibits action. Now, I realize that there is a restraining factor of safety in fitness. It’s unsafe to lose too much weight too fast and overtraining inhibits gains. The solution is to first make a realistic time limit and delineate the time line into short-term goals. Break your goals into monthly, weekly, or even daily victories. This is crucial and it helps you to assess progress toward your ultimate goal.

Suggestion 4: DELEGATE
Delegate your time. Be the master of your time. I understand that making it to the gym shouldn’t be at the expense of jobs or family, but sacrificing the important for the urgent is a poor use of time. I tend to work best if I plan my week in advance. Take one hour from one day of the week and delegate time to your fitness goals. Doing so will only benefit the other roles of your life.

Summation:
So, what do you want? Knowing the answer to this question and chasing it brings a sense of fulfillment. It gives us more than a pretty picture to look at in the mirror. It gives us a sense of control when everything around us seems to fall apart. Give yourself permission to dream, define that dream, delineate your goals into reasonable objectives, and delegate your time accordingly. This isn’t a set plan for success. This process will ask for discipline, resilience, and strong sense of purpose, but it is worth it.