My long-term goal is to achieve fitness and health that let me lead the life I want, the life I’m called to, a life I enjoy: able to do what I want to or need to, having fun by myself or with others.
I’m seeing now that losing 150 pounds, which will get me down to a target weight of 150 pounds, is not a goal, but my target. Targets are defined as “points to shoot at.” Weight loss is necessary I if am to live the dream – and reaching my weight loss target would be a long way toward reaching my goal.
Milestones mark progress toward my target. Since I’m a hiker, I see this as a long distance hike. I want to get to the end, but I have milestones along the way, like the half-way point, the next town, the shelter I hope to reach for the night..
My next big milestone is 50 pounds lost. That is an important milestone representing 33% of the weight I hope to lose, getting me down to 250 pounds. The big milestone after that is the half-way point.
My next milestone is dropping from the 260ies into the 250ies. What a pleasure it is to see that middle digit drop! And, that will represent 40 pounds lost. Another nice milestone, that I hope to reach this week or next.
While focusing on this target of losing 150 pounds, I use mid-term goals and short-term goals to help me reach it.
My current mid-term goal, with a period of six months, is to make diet and fitness my life style. This supports my long-term goal. I’m working on what that will look like and what are the steps to that goal.
My current monthly goal is to log all my food. If I let logging my food drop, I’m no longer accountable, my food gets *sloppy,* and then, whether gaining or losing, I don’t really know exactly what I did or what I might want to change.
My weekly focus goals are currently: 1) At least eight hours in bed after lights out, 2) Pack appropriate lunch every day, 3) Write down food or log it at every meal. I limit myself to 3; that’s all I can keep the focus on in my head.
The weekly focus goals are designed to help me reach my monthly and mid-term goals, the monthly goals help me reach my mid-term and long-term goals. And, etc. By the way, I didn’t start out with this grand plan, but rather it evolved from looking at my longer term goals and coming up with shorter term goals to help me reach them.
Remembering that I have goals for the week and month reminds me to do the things today that will keep me on track. Having them come *due* on a regular basis, and needing to come up with new goals forces me to keep my mind on the target and how that’s translating into what I’m doing today.
Achieving these shorter-term goals is like kicking a goal on a soccer field – it doesn’t win the game, but goes a long way toward putting me in position to win!
As I work on the various goals, it is nice to be able to watch and celebrate the milestones I’m passing by on my way to the target weight, and my ultimate goal: the life I want to live.
