Goal-Setting Guide

Setting goals seems easy, right?  Just choose something you want to accomplish and work tirelessly until you get there. In theory this works but in practice it often doesn't.

Goal setting is one of the  crucial areas of creating a successful plan that a lot of people screw up. Proper goals should be the first thing you set and the basis by which you measure success. Goals shouldtell you the direction to take and marker by which to adjust.  They should also be realistic, something you can do confidently, they should also be measurable and time sensitive.

Was the last goal you set even ONE of these things?

What's the Goal?

When clients or friends ask me for help reaching a goal, I listen for the cues listed above and mentally check off this last when they describe what they want to do:


-A set amount of time?


-Something you can turn into skills and habits?

If these aren't all checked off, then the first step is creating a goal that fits these criteria. 

While setting a goal doesn't seem like something you need an article or blog post to explain - successfully making a life change that sticks AND gets results is part science and intuition.

You need to know your personality type, you need to give habit and skill building time to become permanent changes.  You need to anticipate challenges and make changes based on results and feedback.  If goal setting worked the way we think it should, all goals would be set up like this:

Goal:  Bench 405 lbs

Start:  Bench 45lbs for 10 reps week One

Action: Add 10lbs a week for the next 36 weeks

Linearly it makes sense. And to be honest, for 8-10 weeks, maybe you'd be able to add 10lbs a week.  But soon enough you'd stall and this is where most people give up and stall or worse yet; regress and start back at the beginning.

Success from the Beginning

Here's how I go about working towards a goal:

Goals need skills to be put into action.  Controlling your calories is a skill.

Skills need habits - actionable steps that create your skill. Replacing carbohydrates with veggies is a habit.

So if you practice the habit of replacing carbohydrates with veggies, you develop the skill of calorie control.  Controlling calories works towards the goal of losing body fat.

Goal Setting Isn't Sexy

That's really the problem for most people.  We want a complex plan that promises "X" results in "X" days, done preferable while we're asleep and simultaneously making us irresistable to the opposite sex.

Shy of coaching everyone in my swimsuit (which still isn't sexy), I don't promise that your daily habits and skills will be attractive.  But what is attractive is the results they achieve and the goals you accomplish.

Ask someone who's accomplished something great.  There's usually no "secret" as much as they'll tell you to work hard and be consistent day in and day out.  We have such a hard time believing this is the answer, but it's true! 

No matter the goal, there is a process to setting yourself up for success and creating a permanent change.  If you want to work through your own goal setting, check out our FREE goal setting guide below and get started on your plan.

Want Some Help?

Look no further than The Strong Kitchen Goal Setting Guide. In this we'll show you how to create a goal, skills and habits to practice that lead to success.  Click the button below to download!

Get The Goal Setting Guide - Click Here!