Focus on the Habits NOT the Result!

When measuring progress and setting goals most people look at that end result as the only measurement that matters and this is a huge mistake.  What you need to do is focus on the daily and weekly habits and actions that will move you towards that end result you are seeking.  In the goal setting world these are often referred to as Process Goals and can be the missing link to help you getting to your goals.

Why do we want to do this?  Two reasons:  First, It helps you to properly plan and take the necessary steps to achieve your goal.  Second, there is an old saying Success Breeds Success!  When you have small successes it typically leads to more success, your mind stops putting limits on you and those small successes make you believe that big successes are possible.

In this post I am not going to dig into the full goal setting process but more so how to think of that result that you want to achieve and then break that down into habits that will get you towards that end result.  To help you understand the process lets take a look at a couple Goals or Results that members in our program want to achieve and how we can break those down into habits that you can focus on to get there.

So let’s look at one of the big things people come to CrossFit Lorton to accomplish:

– I want to lose 20 lbs

This can seem daunting, maybe you have tried and failed in the past or have succeeded but gained the weight back.  Lets take a look at how we can turn this desired result into daily and weekly habits!

Daily/Weekly Habits:

I am going to take the stairs at work
I am going to park further from the store, work, mall and walk

I am going to cook my meals at home, no going out

I am going to track my food in MyFitness Pal

I am going to limit dessert to one night per week

I am going to prep my meals on Sunday so I have good food ready
I am going to bring healthy lunches to work and not eat out
I am going to eat vegetables at each main meal
I am going to go the gym 3 days per week
I am going to do home workouts twice a week

These are small habits that you can do every day/week that will ultimately lead you to that end result.  The best part is that each time you accomplish these small habits and process goals it keeps building in your mind and you become accustomed to success and the more you get used to success on smaller levels the more easily the big successes come!

The end result is what happens when you focus on the habits that will lead to that target