Something needs to be done
How often do you wake up, start your day at your computer, surfing the net or reading emails and articles about people who are extraordinary or are achieving tremendous goals and say to yourself, "Why isn't that me? I have goals, too!"
As the day wears on, you get bogged down with business as usual. Your enthusiasm and energy levels get zapped by training sessions, leading employees, making payroll or any of the other thousand details in your daily life. By the end of the day, you've made no progress toward your goals. Repeat this every day for a year or more, and it can become very discouraging.
Too Many Goals
Sometimes it's more a matter of competing goals. There are so many opportunities in today's fitness marketplace that you can start with a simple goal, get moving toward it and then think of a bunch of new ideas. Next thing you know, you're bogged down with 20 new projects to grow your business, and all of these projects require big goals and take time. Most often, however, none of those competing goals catch the attention they deserve and never get off the ground, leaving you disappointed, frustrated and possibly broke.
The lack of progress and resulting frustration isn't because you aren't good at what you do, it's usually due to a lack of deliberate action. I know because it happens to me occasionally. I get excited and take on too many projects. Then progress slows down on all of them, or I become overwhelmed, and nothing gets done. That's when I regroup and follow the plan below.
The Action Plan
Many fitness entrepreneurs and trainers have solid technical skills — they can burn off fat and build muscle like no one else. But what separates the truly successful people from the ones who work long hours just to get by and never realize their true potential is not the setting of goals. It is the implementation of goals: the action plan. Following are some basic elements that will help you develop your action plan and ultimately achieve the success for which those goals were intended:
Give yourself daily goals to accomplish, and check them off as you complete them. If you don't finish in a day, start with them the next day, and make the effort to catch up. Continually educate yourself, talk with experts, and take chances. These are all actions taken toward your goal.
Eliminate doubts and fear that will inevitably arise during the action stage. Thoughts like "There are too many things to do. I'm not sure how to get there," "What if my plan isn't good enough?" and "What if someone is already doing that?" are all normal, but they will keep you distracted and stuck. Erase those thoughts from your mind and start replacing them with positive, action-taking thoughts: "I have a plan," "I am making small, positive steps to my goal" and "I am achieving by taking action daily."
Remember, achieving goals is not about having the perfect plan. It's about moving persistently toward your goal with a sound plan, flexibility and agility (sounds like a PT program). Things will change on your way to your goal. You may add a new project or drop one. Other opportunities will likely present themselves. Keep yourself focused on one or two goals, and stay on track.
What if something derails your plan? Learn from it, reevaluate, determine where you are in the steps outlined above, and move forward. Continue to take action. Commit today to establish your plan, start making small positive changes, and stay focused. Every step forward is a step toward your success.
"Coach Greg" LeFever, NASM-CPT, NASM-PES, conducts Wellness Boot Camps in Newport and Irvine, California, and combines total wellness and results fitness with inspirational life-changing mental disciplines to help his students transform their thoughts, attitudes and bodies. He is certified as a Registered Nutrition Consultant through the School of Nutritional Science and has 15 years of fitness consulting experience. For more information, visit www.lefeverwellness.com.
How often do you wake up, start your day at your computer, surfing the net or reading emails and articles about people who are extraordinary or are achieving tremendous goals and say to yourself, "Why isn't that me? I have goals, too!"
As the day wears on, you get bogged down with business as usual. Your enthusiasm and energy levels get zapped by training sessions, leading employees, making payroll or any of the other thousand details in your daily life. By the end of the day, you've made no progress toward your goals. Repeat this every day for a year or more, and it can become very discouraging.
Too Many Goals
Sometimes it's more a matter of competing goals. There are so many opportunities in today's fitness marketplace that you can start with a simple goal, get moving toward it and then think of a bunch of new ideas. Next thing you know, you're bogged down with 20 new projects to grow your business, and all of these projects require big goals and take time. Most often, however, none of those competing goals catch the attention they deserve and never get off the ground, leaving you disappointed, frustrated and possibly broke.
The lack of progress and resulting frustration isn't because you aren't good at what you do, it's usually due to a lack of deliberate action. I know because it happens to me occasionally. I get excited and take on too many projects. Then progress slows down on all of them, or I become overwhelmed, and nothing gets done. That's when I regroup and follow the plan below.
The Action Plan
Many fitness entrepreneurs and trainers have solid technical skills — they can burn off fat and build muscle like no one else. But what separates the truly successful people from the ones who work long hours just to get by and never realize their true potential is not the setting of goals. It is the implementation of goals: the action plan. Following are some basic elements that will help you develop your action plan and ultimately achieve the success for which those goals were intended:
- Set your goals – Your first step is to write down all of your goals. Large or small, write them all down. Once your goals are listed, put them into categories, such as long-term, short-term, high-priority, must get done or ultimate-reach-for-the-stars goals. Determine the categories that best suit your goals, and then pick one or two of the most important goals. Focus on only one or two until they're completed. Post your goals where you can see them during the day – in your car, on the computer, on the refrigerator, etc. – and keep them ever-present in your mind.
- Create a timeline – Determining a timeline for each goal is critical. You can have a really well-laid-out plan, but if you don't put some sense of urgency on it for yourself, it may never reach the finish line. Break your timeline down into manageable pieces. What do you want to accomplish by the year's end? What needs to happen each month to get there? What is your daily routine to ensure success this month? Give yourself an hour-by-hour goal, if necessary. Check your timeline daily, as you do your appointment book. This will help you stay current on your project completion. Use the timeline so you don't waste time or procrastinate, and hold yourself accountable to your deadlines.
- Design systems –Your system doesn't need to be complex. Write down everything you do and how you do it, and then duplicate it daily. Develop a system for customer contacts, marketing, writing and publishing e-books, client retention, etc. Don't be intimidated if you are not a systems kind of person. Keep it simple. By utilizing a system, you will be more efficient with your recurring daily or monthly tasks and in growing your total business.
- Implement an action plan – This is critical. Without action, all of your goals and grand ideas will remain idle; they will never move beyond mere "what ifs." It's exciting to set goals for yourself or your business and look ahead to achieving something great, but having too many goals without a clearly defined and implemented action plan is a frequent problem that ruins success.
Give yourself daily goals to accomplish, and check them off as you complete them. If you don't finish in a day, start with them the next day, and make the effort to catch up. Continually educate yourself, talk with experts, and take chances. These are all actions taken toward your goal.
Eliminate doubts and fear that will inevitably arise during the action stage. Thoughts like "There are too many things to do. I'm not sure how to get there," "What if my plan isn't good enough?" and "What if someone is already doing that?" are all normal, but they will keep you distracted and stuck. Erase those thoughts from your mind and start replacing them with positive, action-taking thoughts: "I have a plan," "I am making small, positive steps to my goal" and "I am achieving by taking action daily."
Remember, achieving goals is not about having the perfect plan. It's about moving persistently toward your goal with a sound plan, flexibility and agility (sounds like a PT program). Things will change on your way to your goal. You may add a new project or drop one. Other opportunities will likely present themselves. Keep yourself focused on one or two goals, and stay on track.
What if something derails your plan? Learn from it, reevaluate, determine where you are in the steps outlined above, and move forward. Continue to take action. Commit today to establish your plan, start making small positive changes, and stay focused. Every step forward is a step toward your success.
"Coach Greg" LeFever, NASM-CPT, NASM-PES, conducts Wellness Boot Camps in Newport and Irvine, California, and combines total wellness and results fitness with inspirational life-changing mental disciplines to help his students transform their thoughts, attitudes and bodies. He is certified as a Registered Nutrition Consultant through the School of Nutritional Science and has 15 years of fitness consulting experience. For more information, visit www.lefeverwellness.com.
