The precursor to achieving and sustaining any goal is understanding its meaning.
Does it mean something to you?
If it doesn’t, you won’t do what it takes to reach that goal.
If it does, you will.
It’s proportional to struggle as well - If a goal means a lot, you’ll endure a lot to get it. If not, well you’ll quit early and often.
The problem is, we don’t dig deep enough into what a goal means to us, before we start pursuing it.
A good exercise I like to do is the 5 whys.
Ask yourself why you want do achieve that goal 5 different times, going deeper into your reasoning each time.
Heres an example.
Whats my goal?
I want get more fit and toned.
Why is this important to you?
Because I don’t like the way I look and feel.
Why is this important to you?
Because if I I look and feel better, I’ll be able to take my shirt off at the pool.
Why is this important to you?
Because if I look better, I’ll be able to feel better about myself.
Why is this important to you?
Because if I feel better about myself, I’m more confident and outgoing.
And lastly, why is that important to you?
If I’m more confident and outgoing, I’ll be able to get more out of life.
This is how I see it…
When our actions aren’t aligned with our values, we experience stress, anxiety, and lack of purpose.
And we must do some reflection on what truly matters to us if we want to know what we value.
That’s where the 5 whys can be helpful.
It can help clarify if we really value a goal, or not.
After doing it, you’ll either toss out the goal, realizing that there’s more important things you value (and want to pursue), OR you’ll be powerfully attached to why you're pursuing the goal in the first place. And cognitively attaching yourself to your why is directly related to the motivation you need to sustain you through the inevitable obstacles that you must overcome to be successful to achieve your goals.
Next time you want to pursue a health and fitness goal, try the 5 whys and see if it helps align your actions to what matters most to you.