Top Time Tip #99
Four Simple Tips To Help You Reach Your Goals
19th February 2008
If you've been a subscriber for a little while you might remember one of my early 2007 ezines in which we looked at some of the techniques I was learning as a new WeightWatchers member, and how we can apply those same principles in business. At the time I'd been on their excellent programme about three weeks and was buzzing with the simplicity and ease of their system.
Well, I'm delighted to report that, exactly one year later to the day I reached that goal. Here 's the evidence - the second photo shows me 19 kilos (about 42 pounds) lighter ! 
You might be wondering what lessons have come out of this 12 months of focus. And can they apply to any goal? Absolutely.
In Top Time Tips # 86 you'll find those first four goal-success techniques. Here are four further tips that might also help you keep on track for your goals - whatever they are.
The decision is the first key
Probably the hardest step is in reality the easiest afterwards. I had to DECIDE to take action. Without a true commitment to the goal it would have been like all the other good intentions about diet and health that had slipped quietly out of sight. If we're not serious about the goal, or it's someone else's goal that we're adopting because we think we should', we won't keep at it when the going gets tough.
What will help support you in that commitment?
It could be a picture of your desired outcome. If you're like most of us, a visual reminder where you see it every day is very powerful. For me, a photo from 20 years back, having just run a modified marathon (15 miles) displayed a very trim Robyn with not a spare kilo in sight! Many WeightWatchers members also put up a fat' photo on the fridge it's a great reminder of just what they really do to themselves by opening that door too often!
Remove as many obstacles as possible
Within a week or so I'd become a vigilante about unhealthy food lurking in the pantry, fridge and freezer. Throwing good' food away is very hard for someone with Scottish ancestry and a frugal upbringing! However, a reality check about possible temptation and how much longer the process would be dragged out by eating the wrong food was enough to lift the lid of the rubbish bin.
The upside of this has taken us by surprise. After years of indifference about cooking and food, not putting any real focus on what went into our mouths, the whole family has become really interested in food.
What changes do you need in your environment? And what support will make your desired goal easier to achieve?
Your thinking will need adjustments beware of natural comfort levels
One of my mini goals, and an internal picture that helped keep me on track for the first six months, was that I could see' a thinner Robyn standing on stage at San Diego last July as the outgoing President of the International Federation for Professional Speakers, handing responsibility for our 6,000 members to the incoming President in front of nearly 2,000 professional speakers.
That goal gets a tick! By July ten kilos had slid away, I was half-way to my final target, wearing dresses two sizes less, feeling great and receiving many unsolicited compliments. The hard thing was then, once that milestone was achieved, to not stop there. Part of the problem was, the mirror was so much more flattering than six months earlier that it was easy to say this is pretty good. I can relax now.'
But, as Jim Collins says in Good to Great' (really significant business book do read it) The enemy of great is good'. I'd done good work, but could do better. Fortunately We.ightWatchers give plenty of warning about plateaux there was still a long way to go! However, it took almost as much determination to keep going at that point as it did when I began the whole process.
With your goals, see if you can anticipate potential road blocks along the way and set exciting end targets to help you past them. Don't let complacency or she'll be right' thinking steal your dream.
Find ways to keep the pressure on
I'd given myself a couple of weeks leave of absence' from careful consumption whilst holidaying in France and England after the San Diego convention. Add the delicious pub meals of Britain to the wonderful cheeses and red wines of France and within a few weeks an unwanted couple of kilos had sneaked back on. At that point it would have been so easy to give up. I was looking better, had worked hard, been very self-disciplined even whilst travelling extensively overseas over the preceding six months and didn't I deserve' a break? (How easy it is to justify letting go!) And so, for the next two months, nothing much changed.
In mid-September my husband did me a favour by slapping in another goalpost.
You know that money for new clothes I promised when you reach your goal?'
Yes,' I replied, wondering where this conversation was going.
I'm upping the ante. The offer only stands if you do it by 31st January.'
No worries,' I replied with confidence, and then got a big (and not so pleasant) surprise to find there were only 4½ months to get that money out of his pocket!
A much higher level of focus immediately kicked in. The correct eating regime was re-ignited and I began exercising much more intensely - running again after a gap of nearly 20 years. At times it seemed just too hard. There were weeks when only a few grams came off, no matter how conscientious. One day (embarrassed to admit this one!) I had a serious melt-down, bursting into tears of frustration. Giving up seemed like a much better option for at least four hours!
Summary:
- The strong decision is the first and most important element. What will help reinforce it?
- If you haven't got the right environment or something in the environment needs adjustment, what can you do to change it?
- What patterns of thinking need adjustment?
- What short and long-term goalposts along the way will help keep the fire of your ambition burning brightly?
Whether it's to improve something at work, or whether it's a more personal goal you want to achieve you have my very best wishes. Go well, friends. You can do it.
(And if you want help to decide just what goals you really want, for that's the hardest part for many folks, check out our Getting a grip on life Goals Toolkit').
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