What do you want?

What do you want? 11/01/2011

Often potential clients of mine come into my gym with vague goals and an even more vague vision on how to get what they want. It goes kind of like this.

Me: “What are you looking to get out of your program with me?”

Them: “I want to lose weight.”

Me: “And how do you think we’ll get that result?”

Them: “Well, I’m joining the gym. That’s enough right?”

After many fruitless intakes, I have learned to adopt these two questions into my interviews.

Specifically, what do you want?

What are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want?

You see, losing weight, getting strong, and getting in shape aren’t really goals. They are the result of a more specific goal and a clear direct vision on how to get there.

So let’s look at this a little more in depth. First, what do you really want? This question should take you quite a lot of time to answer. You should create a S.M.A.R.T. goal. S.M.A.R.T. stands for:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Time Sensitive

Now when you say “I want to lose weight”, none of these guidelines are met. But if your goal was “I want to lose 40 pounds in the next 6 months by adhering to a strict exercise and nutrition regimen.” Which has more direction and potential to keep you on track? By being as specific as possible, you will get direction on HOW to get to WHERE you want to be.

Second, what are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want? This question is going to give you direction and set your level of commitment.

If I were to ask you if you would be willing to give up going out for beers with the guys on Friday and get in an extra run… what would you say? Would you jump up and go for the run or run out for a beer? If you can’t give up the beer, you may not be ready for your program yet. If you just hit 3 miles… keep reading.

The first month of your new program is the toughest. It will feel like you’re giving up everything you love. Look at it this way, what you’ve done up until this point has gotten you to exactly where you are. How has that worked for you so far?

After the first month, new habits form and it’s a lot easier to pass up going out for beer or Chinese food. The bad habits start to fall away and the results start to show. As those results start to show it’s easier to stay away from the bad things.

So, as we move into this new phase of life... the new healthy you stage, set specific goals and the vision on how to reach them will reveal itself to you.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Archives

Categories