Goal Setting For Fitness: Part 1- Discovering Your Crystal-Clear Vision

Goal Setting For Fitness:
Part 1: Discovering Your Crystal-Clear Vision

Hello, my friends! It’s Griff, and I am excited to talk to you today about one of the most misunderstood topics of our day: setting goals for health and fitness. For some reason, most of my clients have a very hard time setting goals in this area of their lives.
I have asked myself the question, WHY? What is it that makes this area so difficult? I would like you to ask yourself this same question, and I am sure that you will discover the same struggles that most face. Is it because you just haven’t thought about it before? Is it because health and fitness is just too vague? Is it because you just don’t have the confidence in yourself to begin with? What is it?
I would propose that the answer is two-fold. Chances are good that the following apply:
1- You don’t know WHAT goals to set.
You may find yourself setting a very vague goal such as “I want to lose weight and tone up.” I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this very phrase over the course of my career. This is very closely tied to Number Two:
2- You don’t know HOW to properly articulate them.
Many people have very broad and nebulous goals, and, consequently, they don’t know how to express them or translate them into a coherent statement.
However, even if you get to the point of setting health, fitness and nutrition goals, you have FAR surpassed the average American who settles for whims and surges of motivation guided by no vision.

What is a Crystal-Clear Vision?
I want to first explain what a crystal-clear vision is by telling you what it is NOT! A crystal-clear vision is NOT a dream! A dream is cheap and easy. We all have dreams, and we have hundreds of them each year. A dream is a form of cheap movie-like entertainment for the mind. It is a form of mental candy, but, as with all candy, it leaves you bankrupt of nutrients and substance. I am not saying that dreaming is bad . . . quite the contrary. The right dreams (meaning you have to be very selective of good vs. bad dreams) are the precursors to VISION.
Defining Vision
Vision is the by-product of a dream that has been emotionalized and deemed as reality by your sub-conscious mind. In other words, if a dream is laced with emotion and dwelt upon for an extended period of time, your conscious mind will take the next step by drawing you a very vivid picture of your intended outcome. At this point your mind becomes “obsessed” with the prospect of this vision, and your subconscious mind canonizes your vision as “reality.” More importantly, your mind begins to ACT on your “new reality.” It finds every method, means, resource, and avenue to make your vision into a reality.
In my 12+ years of experience as a lifestyle coach, public speaker, and Personal Trainer, I can honestly say that there is nothing more rewarding and beautiful than to watch somebody become captivated and driven by a crystal-clear vision. Their demeanor seems to change in an instant. Their countenance changes, and their zeal for life intensifies. Obstacles are no longer seen as permanent but rather ways of learning. Obstacles are viewed as nothing more than a temporary setback that ultimately rewards the goal seeker by teaching him or her how to overcome and become stronger in his or her quest. In short, it is awesome to watch people become “purpose driven,” rather than whim driven.
The Must-Haves
Listed below are some of the essential principles for forming your Crystal-Clear Vision of health and fitness. I will go into more detail next week about these principles and how to incorporate them in your life. Keep in mind that these are not intended to be comprehensive, but rather they are intended to give you some of the essentials to help in the development phase.
• Start at the finish line!

-Envision what your life will be like when you have fully assumed your vision. Use your right brain function to “draw a picture” of where you intend to go. It is always easier to start where you want to finish!

• Make your finish line your “present”
-A common mistake is to write your vision as though it is in the future. For example, “I will be 10% body fat, have a six pack, and excite my wife every time she looks at me.” This is putting your vision in the future. The problem is that your subconscious mind (which is the engine responsible for habit change) only knows the present and can, therefore, only act on commands given to it in the present tense. A better example would be, “I am 10% body fat, have a six pack, and I do excite my wife every time she lays her eyes on my sexy body!” Can you see the difference here? One statement is a wish and the other is a direct COMMAND to your subconscious mind.
• Crystal Clear means CRYSTAL Clear!

-Think of the successes in life that you are proud of. Chances are that you started with the end in mind and that “end” was painted with a very vivid picture. For example, consider the difference in the following visions: “I am skinny and in shape. I eat well and have energy.” This is typical for most because we tend to take the path of least resistance. Here is how I would write the same vision: “I am blessed to look and feel amazing. I am 8% body fat and weigh 180 lbs. I have a six pack that is one of my most prized physical possessions. Most look at it in awe, knowing how rare they are, and I am proud to show mine off. My nutrition consisted of whole foods that are minimally processed. I respect my sweet tooth with natural alternative foods that are healthy and great tasting. My energy level is through the roof, and I exude a positive energy that is infectious and loveable.”

Well, there you have it my friends! In the next installment, I will go into more detail and give you more examples. I hope you can see the difference between what we think are our “goals” and what a true vision is all about.

Oh, and one more thing: Life is good!