For almost half a year, I grounded myself in working towards a fitness goal. I found a great sense of purpose when I was making progress and consistently improving. In my life, goals have acted as a roadmap and helped me understand myself better. When I reflect on the stages of my life, many of them are defined by the goals that I set for myself.
I believe that habits and goals are a powerful way to take control of your circumstances.
Working with experienced military personnel at Gasparotto Group, I’ve learned that defining and consistently tracking progress towards the “end state” is a highly effective way of sustaining focus on results. When my fitness challenge ended, I reflected on what my value proposition is for maintaining the habits that I built over those 18 weeks. Without a defined end state, I noticed my motivation to continue to build strength and live a healthy lifestyle was not as strong as they were when I had a clear goal in mind.
I was struggling to find purpose in my daily routine. My coach helped me understand that small goals can be just as valuable as big goals. She assured me that it is okay to not always be striving for big changes and challenges. The “end state” can be small actions that you commit to consistently over defined periods of time. To stay intrinsically motivated, especially during a global health pandemic, I needed to redefine my goals.
With a new mindset about my goals, I decided that each month I would pick a new set of positive habits that I wanted to adopt and use a physical challenge to track progress toward a goal. Dedicating time to set my intentions for fitness development monthly has become an excellent way to refocus and ground myself. The end state of these small challenges is a feeling of accomplishment and excitement that keeps me motivated during times of uncertainty.
This period of physical distancing has taught me that there are many things that I cannot control. However, I can focus on the things that I can control to feel a greater sense of power over my circumstances. I can choose to prioritize my health and fitness in meaningful ways every day. In doing so, I feel both physically and mentally stronger.
I have learned that habits and goals are a great way to create a path in the stages of your life. Taking the time to understand what end state you want to achieve can help you define meaningful ways to progress over time. When you focus on what you can control, you have the ability to make the most of your circumstances and become more resilient to external changes.
Ask yourself:
“What is important to me?”
“What are my intentions for personal development?”
“How do I find purpose in my daily routine?”
Then consider what habits and goals will help you answer these questions and gain power over your circumstances.
“The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting and achieving goals”
~Og Mandino
Written by Jessica Orchin
Gasparotto Group helps organizations create cultures that develop highly effective leaders and build strong, resilient teams.
