Setting Goals.....

One of the first things we have to do is set goals. Setting goals on this Journey of ours is a very important tool to staying the course. If you set the wrong goals or set goals that you, nor anyone else, can ever achieve, guess what? Yes, you will get off course. Why set ourselves up? Why not sit down andOne take some time to really think about our goals for this Journey of ours. The rules for setting these goals are very straightforward and should be adhered to if you want to be your best on your Journey.

Make sure each goal you set has a deadline. This will give you a date to work towards and help keep you on the right course of your Journey.
Make sure each goal is specific. For example, don't say, "I want to lose 25 lbs." or "I want to lose 25 lbs. in 10 weeks." There are no specifics to how you will lose the 25 lbs. Why not say instead, "I will workout at the gym 3 times a week, stay within my point (calorie, etc) range and drink all my water." The first two goals are very vague goals, while the second goal is very specific as to how to lose your 25 lbs.

Never set goals that will leave you feeling like a failure-the all or nothing mindset. If you set a goal like, "I will lose 5 pounds this month," how will you feel when you come up short and only lose 4 lbs? I'll tell you from experience that you will feel like you failed at your itty-bitty goal - heck, it was only 5 pounds! You won't even see that you drank all your water, stayed within your Program and got to the gym 3 times a week for that month. Nope, all you will see is, "I didn't make my goal."

Make sure your goals have two categories - Long-term goals and short-term goals. All your short-term goals that you accomplish will lead you up to accomplishing your long-term goals. You should be able to achieve your short-term goals in a week to a month. When you reach your short-term goals you will be motivated to keep on keeping on to reach your long-term goals.
Make sure you set goals that you can achieve. When you set a goal that you cannot, in any way possible achieve, you are setting yourself up for failure. Take into consideration your age, weight, level of fitness, medical issues, etc when you are setting up your goal. Remember, the goal should always be "Achieve the Goal" and if you set up barriers you will never "Achieve the Goal".
Always remember that you are NEVER a failure if you don't meet one of your goals. Making goals is not an easy thing. There are a lot of things to consider, and another person's goal might not be yours. The main thing to remember is that you always have the chance to make a new goal! (You can even use the same goal, but start over at the beginning and take another try at it. This works!)

Keep your goals where you can see them to help you stay motivated. Don't be afraid to revise your short and long-term goals whenever you feel necessary.