Not Another Goals Article
Thoughts from a goals failure
I am terrible at goals. I mean, I am a doer of sorts, and I can get things done if it is something I am interested in or need to get done. When it comes to long-term goals, I struggle. My youngest son is good at it. He set his sights on law school a long time ago and has just finished his first semester. He wrote out everything when he entered college and disciplined himself to achieve all of them. His plan was simple. You can see it here:
Here are some things that a good number of goal-setting experts tell me I need to do to achieve what I desire.
1. Set Realistic Goals.
2. Be specific.
3. Develop consistent habits.
4. Have some accountability.
These are fine, but even when following the above guidelines, I fail. So I set out to examine the reason I fail and here is what I discovered about myself. These are less orthodox reasons than the experts, but maybe there are some out there, like myself, who can benefit from my failures and how I learned to overcome them.
How I feel is enormous. Brandon Buchard, in his book “High-Performance Habits,” states that one of the characteristics of high performers is that they generate energy. This was revolutionary to me. I know, I know; I am supposed to push through, ignore feelings, and push through the tiredness. But it has been difficult for me to do this. I found times when I was so tired that I could not do anything. I needed to take a nap, and I did. Or I end up eating more sugar to seek to get the energy up, which is the worst thing I need to do. Not until I was sick of being tired and ill did I begin to do some serious examinations. I even went outside all the traditional advice because, somehow, none of that was working.
I began researching several things about my health and why I was not getting good sleep. What I found out was that I was eating too many carbs. There was way too much sugar in my diet, and it was killing me. I give no health and eating advice; I can only tell you my story. Through this process, I soon discovered the low-carb crowd but not the keto low-carb crowd, the carnivore low-carb crowd. I began listening to doctors and researchers in the carnivore space and decided to look deeper into this way of eating. I vowed only to read or listen to those who were doctors and researchers and not listen to any influencers. I am not saying you should do this. But…for me, BINGO. My energy levels shot up, and I got off the three meds I was on. I had A-fib and have not had A-fib in over 2 years. My sleep began to return. My weight dropped, and my workouts became energy-filled sessions. I do go off and eat sugar and carbs from time to time. When I do, I notice a big difference. Getting healthier is revolutionary for reaching my goals and has given me more energy and desire to do what I need to do to achieve my goals.
Prepping for the day ahead - I have this idea that I will do certain things necessary to reach my goals. Then, the time comes to do it, and I have to go through a process to get ready even to achieve the goal. I have found that unless I do some prep work, I fail. For example, I have a goal of riding a long bike ride in July. If I do not ride now, I will not reach my goal. I have to plan to ride now so I can be ready in July. I plan ahead by pulling my clothes out the night before and putting them in my truck. I place my bike on the rack before I leave work to have all I need for a ride right after work. I plan to have to have food available after the ride. If I do not do this, going home and trying to get everything together after work will not happen. My easy chair recliner becomes more appealing than packing everything and heading out. The same goes for food and diet. If I do not do meal prep, I will be hungry at work, and there is nothing to eat except junk. I end up grabbing anything available in the break room at work. The break room is a treasure trove of sugar, seed oils, and carbs.
The why of the goal. The why is so important to determine why I desire to reach a goal. If there is no good reason for my goals, then there is no reason to go after them. The why takes a lot of soul searching and praying. Some of my why is just for fun and relaxation. Some are family and professional. Some of it is spiritual. If the why is not a good reason, I will eventually talk myself out. My self-talk, during the tough times, usually wins out in quitting.
I am no professional, but there are some people out there, like me, who need to hear this. I am not a robot and cannot do what many people do. I am not Mr Disciplne. Those who are do not need to listen to this. What I have shared here has worked for me; it may also help you.