While this is only a few short weeks into 2023, this is not a post regarding New Year’s resolutions.  As a fitness professional, nutrition coach, and life coach, I work with my clients daily on the power of goal setting.  Therefore, the timing of this post with the New Year is only a coincidence, and my primary purpose is to share some information I’ve been working with for the past few months.

Want to up the odds of reaching your goals substantially? I will let you in on a little secret. Most people don’t have a written set of goals regarding any area of their life. In fact, the number is only 3%. Here’s another point for you to consider. On average, people with written goals make nine times more financially than those without. So, getting serious about writing out your goals is prudent because it pays really well.

So, what are the odds of hitting your goals by simply writing them down? The answer is 42%. That’s way better than wishful thinking, which is my definition of goals still spinning around in your head. Would you like to raise your odds of success to 76%? I have the solution, and it’s easy.

You need an accountability partner, and they don’t necessarily have to be knowledgeable about what you’re striving to accomplish. They just need to hold you accountable for the following steps.

1 – Write out your goals
2 – Share with your accountability partner your key action steps for the next week.
3 – Connect at the end of the week and share your progress
4 – Repeat until you’ve achieved your goal

It’s that simple, and it works incredibly well.  However, I have found that one weekly check-in is not enough for some.  I have several clients who I hold accountable daily for one small action.  It could be as simple as taking their supplements or drinking half their body weight in water.

And while I have no hard stats to back this up, the increased frequency helps.  In fact, one client just told me yesterday how much she appreciated my daily check-ins, as it allows her to be mindful of her choices.  She specifically said she enjoys how I only ask how she did rather than coming across as critical or judgmentally.  I am naturally an encourager, and being a coach “hard ass” is not my style.

So, start with the foundational steps listed above, and be open to testing the optimal number of check-ins required to help you reach your goals.  And this doesn’t have to be complicated.  For example, I send numerous clients a quick text throughout the week, and they reply with their accomplishments.  Since I see most of my clients at least once a week for a training session, the text we exchange in between seems to help them stay on track with their goal achievement.

Closing thoughts for my readers:

How often do you hear people say, “I know what I should be doing…but?” and then follows some excuse.  People will say this simple little phrase so casually; it’s as if it were as easy as flipping on a light switch to stop the behavior tied to their excuse and start executing the needed behaviors to reach their goals.

The only problem with this is that if they’re missing either of the following key elements, the distance from where they are to where they want to go maybe insurmountable without some help.

1 – The needed knowledge or skills
2 – Emotional discipline

When it comes to improving your health through fitness and nutrition, there’s so much conflicting information today that many people throw up their hands in frustration because they don’t know who to believe or which path to follow.  This can make number one listed above challenging.

A good coach with a track record of successfully helping their clients reach their goals can be a great resource in cutting through the mountain of often conflicting information.  This is valid in the health and fitness arena or any other area of your life where you’re seeking to make a change.

Harvey Mackay is an excellent example of someone who has achieved great success in his career and has always utilized the wisdom of coaching.  His book, “How to Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive,” was the first personal development I ever read.  My aunt and uncle gave it to me as a Christmas gift in my junior year in college.  The book became a New York Times bestseller and was an early success in what would become an extraordinary life of achievement.

According to Wikipedia, Harvey Mackay is “An American businessman, author, and syndicated columnist. His weekly column gives career and inspirational advice and is featured in over 100 newspapers. In addition, Mackay has authored seven New York Times bestselling books, including three number one bestsellers.”

His accolades extend far beyond the short paragraph above, and I have followed him for over thirty years.  The interesting thing to me is that despite Harvey’s overwhelming success, he continues to work with a team of coaches in a variety of areas in his life, including:

1 – Life
2 – Golf
3 – Speaking
4 – Memory
5 – Business
6 – Language
7 – And on and on.

According to Harvey, “Coaches can help people in any field improve their game.”  From my perspective, a good coach can point out your blind spots; trust me, we all have them.  Further, if you’re not getting better, in today’s world with advancing technology changing everything at breakneck speed, you will be left in the dust.  So, regardless of what you’re seeking to accomplish, any extraordinary success in life will have a better chance of achievement through the efforts of a team, and an accountability partner and professional coach can be invaluable members.

Best of luck in your journey.