Transcript
As a result of watching this video you will
- Set better SMART goals.
- Use your goals for motivation.
- Learn how to trick yourself into starting something and reward yourself for doing it.
- Learn a technique for shutting down negative internal talk.
OK lets go.
You already know what smart goals are
Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time bound.
For example
I am going to lose 10 kilograms of weight by Christmas this year.
Sounds pretty good but I don’t think this is a good goal.
You see there are 2 types of measurable goals.
Input goals and output goals.
Yes you can measure the output however you achieve this by getting on the scales but that is harder to control and is less specific.
If you consider what an input goal is, it is what you will do to achieve the result.
What goes IN to the goal.
For example I am going to exercise for 150 minutes per week until I drop 10 kilograms on the scales.
What is measured here is the minutes you put into the exercise.
Input goals are stackable. You can stack them with other input goals like:
I am going to fast for 12-16 hours five nights of the week until I drop 10 kilograms on the scales.
Recommendation 1: come up with a list of stackable INPUT SMART goals.
In previous videos we have asked you to be prepared to be derailed.
It is natural to move in waves and cycles.
The trick is to minimise the time between the stops and the restarts and to lengthen the time of your exercise streaks.
Doing something you like helps to keep things rolling forward.
But when you stop, you lose your momentum.
It takes a lot more effort to start pushing a car than once it is already rolling.
A trick you can play on yourself is to make the smallest commitment to yourself.
Instead of saying you will walk 5 klm tomorrow, think about just putting your walking shoes out near the door before going to bed, putting them on first thing and standing outside. If you’re not up for it, walk to the letter box, touch it then go back in the house.
At the very least you can say you went for a walk today. The minute counts towards your goal.
Mark on your calendar or however you track your goal and take a smile / mental clapping.
Tomorrow you can try again to go further.
Recommendation 2: Think what is the smallest commitment you can make towards your goals. Set yourself up to do this the night before.
This internal talk is so important.
Sometimes we need to shut it down as it is not helping us at all to listen to it.
A technique athletes use is visualisation of pushing a barrier in front of it.
Could be a boom gate coming down you go through but leave the negative talk behind.
Could be a cattle grid, you ride your bike across it but the cows can’t follow you.
Could be a lollipop traffic person giving you the go, but spinning the stop sign on the negative talk.
Could be you, freezing the negative talk in a giant ice cube inside a walk-in freezer.
It doesn’t matter what your visualisation technique is.
It matters that you have one and are aware enough to recognise when the little “resistance demon” has popped up on your shoulder and is talking in your ear.
Knowing you have a choice and a “boom gate” to close is helpful.
We know some people even wear rubber bands on their wrists to give them a snap when they hear the resistance talking.
That is a negative instant consequence. What is better is a positive instant consequence. A small reward and recognition that you get when you complete what you committed to doing. Think a long hot shower, or a swim at the beach, or a cold collagen shot protein water on ice. You get the idea.
Recommendation 3: Decide on what is your mental model for closing down negative talk and what instant rewards you will give yourself for completing what you committed to do.
So just a quick recap:
- Make input goals not output goals. What can you put IN?
- Trick yourself by making micro commitments to do something. What is the very next physical thing you can do.
- Shut down the boom gate on your negative talk. It’s just resistance.
- Determine your treats in advance.
Hope this is helpful.
See you in the next video.
