I was listening to a podcast recently that featured Jon Acuff and one of the topics was regarding goal setting.  He made a point that stuck with me regarding the goals we make.

So often these goals are not fun at all but are instead what we think we should be doing to achieve a certain thing.

For example, you want to get more exercise in and be in better shape.  So you set a goal to run a 5K in 3 months. You find a running plan online that gives you info about how much to run each day to get you to that point.

Sounds good, right?

Oh yeah, except that you hate running, and dread every day going out there.  Even after a month of it you still hate it, but this is what you need to do right?  

Well, wrong actually. 

There are lots of ways to get in better shape and add movement to your life, and running is just one of them.  What if instead you tried a yoga class, started walking daily, started lifting weights, took a kickboxing class, took up tennis, or some other activity that you’ve always thought sounded fun?

We often get our minds stuck on what an ideal goal is and what we need to do to reach it.  What others are doing may be working amazing for them, but might not work at all for you, or might be a miserable experience for you.

If our goals are never fun or based on things we actually enjoy, it makes it pretty hard to keep them up.  If you want to get more exercise, but loathe running, it’s probably not the best option for you!

Likewise, eating healthier and losing weight are also common goals.  But so many people turn to extreme or restrictive diets to reach that goal.  Eating like that short term is hard enough, but continuing that on for any length of time can be a struggle and make you feel deprived and miserable.  Instead, finding a way of eating that is enjoyable and sustainable will keep you much more likely to continue on and keep your healthy habits.

Your goals should have a fun element to them – something that drives you on and makes you want to keep at it each day.

But if you’re feeling like you don’t even know where to start, head over to my Start Here page to find your path to wellness and to begin making those changes to see real progress in your health.