GOALS

I want to stop smoking. I want to run a 10k in under an hour. I want to Bench Press double my bodyweight. I want to lose 25 pounds...

If your "want to" is to become reality, you must create a *definable* goal. "I want to lose weight" or "I want to lift more" is not a definable goal. Sorry. It must be specific.

By creating a definable goal, you're committing to something significant -- you're pledging to yourself. Responsibility relies upon you, and you're not going to let yourself down, right? Yes, others can help along the way, but in the end, the goal rests upon your shoulders.

Now, the important question: How do I reach my goal? How do I stop smoking? How do I lose 25 pounds? The answer: you must take action, and you must follow a process.

Iron cannot be pressed without a detailed plan. Fat cannot be burned without taking calculated measures. To reach the end-game, your goal, you must create small, manageable goals along the way to the finished product. You have to see yourself finishing several small steps along the mountain's path in order to make it to the peak.

Every week or two, gauge your progress. How are you doing? Are you making progress? Are you becoming frustrated? (This is common. Don't let frustration derail you!) If you need to make adjustments, that's fine, but just remember why you started. Know that you're after something that *will* change you and your frame of mind. It takes work. Period.

Two weeks will become a month. A month will become two. Before you know it, you're half-way through a year and you're on your way; you're on your way to climbing your Everest, to accomplishing what it is you set out to finish.

Life will continue its course no matter what it is you do. But, life can become a much more beautiful thing if you set your sights on and reach something desirable, something admirable, something that will make you a stronger person.

So set your sights. Make your goal. And, as always, #dowork!