Short Term Goals: TODAY is ALL that matters!!!

I am a firm believer that if you are to fully succeed in a main and long term goal, you must first set smaller short term goals.

It's the process of working your way UP to something or in this case DOWN. ;)

Let's say, if, someday you would like to own a very large home with a sports car in your garage and a swimming pool in the backyard, how would you go about doing that?

The first step would be to get a job and start making money. Well, maybe that's not enough income to get the big picture. So, the theory is to find a way to make more money that will eventually lead you to buying the big house. Short term goals, small steps to lead up to big success. You've acheived the goal of the first job , the next goal is to find a better paying job, and maybe, in order to get that you need to go to college. So, set the next small goal of going to college to further your career. Once that goal is met, check it off the list and there you are closer to your main goal of owning that large fancy house and all the works. One step, one day at a time.

Same holds true for our weight loss goals. Me as an example, I want to lose 40 lbs. Ultimately I would LOVE to see myself at 115 lbs, for my height and age, that's healthy, but when I think of me being 155 lbs and having to lose 40 lbs. Gosh, that seems to hard and I just want to give up.

Well, how about we do this..... My main Goal is to get down to 115 lbs. Someday. I want someday to be by next fall. That's far enough away I have time to achieve it and so in this time frame what can I do to get my ultimate goal weight? First, I want to see if I can lose 8 lbs. this month. But to lose 8 lbs this month I need to focus on losing 2 lbs this week, and to lose 2 lbs this week I will need to watch my diet every day and exercise too! So, let's start the first short term goal as day to day and then worry about the next short term goal, my weekly weigh in later on.

Today, I will worry about what I have to do today to be healthier. I will eat well today and count my calories or points, and I will exercise. Today I want to walk 30 minutes on my treadmill. I want to do Turbo Jam later in the evening and I'd like to work my abs out so I want to do Belly Busters. I want to eat something good and satisfying but I don't want to over do it. At the end of the day I will feel good about my efforts and success for today and I will sleep well having exercised. Tomorrow, I want to do the same thing.

All the while, I am telling myself I CAN, I WILL.... I want that long term goal of 115 lbs, but I know I have to work towards it today. I did not gain this weight over night or in one week, it snuck up on me over the course of a year or two, and so I will not lose it over night either.

The more exercise the better I feel. The more I think of that two pounds I want to get off this week to lead to the ultimate 40 lbs in a few months to a year the more determined I am to keep going!!!

By setting these small day by day and week by week goals we can find ourselves to be more successful in the long run over focusing strictly on the "big fish" we want a head. We can get discouraged thinking about that 40 lbs we want off right NOW and when we only lose a pound or two a week and we can't fit into our skinny jeans with ALL of the exercise we did last week we can get discouraged and think it's doing no good.

Small baby steps one day at a time. Think today what you need to eat and exercise for today to lead up to that 1 - 2 lbs you want off this week to ultimately and eventually lead up to the 40 lbs.
YOU CAN DO IT.... ONE DAY AT A TIME, ONE POUND AT A TIME.....

You have to want to do it... but focus on what you have to do right now , today, to make a differance for later. Tomorrow isn't here yet, so don't worry with it. Yesterday is gone and don't matter so quit kicking yourself in the butt because you ate that donut. SO? You ate it yesterday..... so get back on track today. TODAY.... TODAY.... and ONLY TODAY!!!