For most, when we enter into a new year, new goals are set. You hear people speaking of new fitness goals, relationship goals, and we see so many posts on social media with people stating “new year, new me.” While it’s great to have a mindset to set new goals, it is also very important to ensure that the goals you make are not just an idea in your mind but that you are taking action on the goals you have thought of for yourself. So it is important that we not only verbalize the vision, but that we also write it down to solidify the vision in our minds.
Habakkuk 2: 2- 3 New King James Version (NKJV) Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Writing the vision will also help in creating a plan to make clear, specific, and attainable goals. Once you know the plan, you can take the necessary steps to reach your desired goal. Goals should be measurable. For example: Goal- I want to gain 10 lbs in 2 months. Objectives- Increase my caloric intake from 2500 to 3500 daily. Every day I will track my caloric intake with a fitness tracker to ensure I am meeting the objective I set for myself. At the end of each week (Day 7 weekly) I will weigh myself to track progress. I will attend a gym 3 times a week to work on building muscle mass, beginning with 15 minutes of a light pre-workout, 35 minutes of weight training, and 10 minutes of a cool down. If in 2 months I do not reach the goal with the objectives I set, I know that I will need to make changes to the goal.
Writing the desired outcomes, making them clear, and attainable will also increase the commitment level you have to achieving the goal. Studies show that individuals who write their goals down have more commitment level toward achievement of their goals than those individuals who don’t write their goals down on paper. Also if you see yourself meeting the smaller objectives to reach the overall goal, you have more confidence in yourself to achieve the desired outcome. Using the example above, if I notice progress in my fitness in the first or second week, I am going to want to continue the objectives set to meet my desired goal in the 2 month time frame.
Don’t just speak the vision. Write the goal, develop a plan that is specific, measurable, and attainable. Don’t give up if you feel you aren’t making progress. You may just need to change the objectives to achieve the goal. Be committed. Remember that with any type of growth there is a process. I wish you the best for the year, don’t let challenges defeat you. Go forth and be great!
