Goal Setting

“A man without a goal is like a ship without a rudder.”
~Thomas Carlyle

It’s time to set sail on my year-long-journey of self-mastery.  Before I can begin on this journey, I must know where I am going.  Goal setting is an absolute must for anyone aiming to improve the quality of his or her life.  Life can be broken down into several main areas:

Physical Body – The way we look and feel.
Emotions & Meaning – The way we use our emotions to support and create meaning in our lives.
Relationships – The level of fulfillment our relationships provide for us.
Time – The way we use our time to live a life we are passionate about.
Work/Career/Mission – Our ability to use work and career to fuel passion towards our personal mission(s) in life.
Finances – Our financially situation in life.
Contribution – The way we contribute and add value to the world.

I have goals in all of these areas, but in this post, I will be covering the area of my physical body.  As I continue with my mission to post once a day to this blog, I will add more goals in the other areas of my life.  In time, I plan on organizing this blog based on the areas of my life I am mastering.

To aid me in the process of evaluating where I’m currently at and where I want to be at the end of the year, I used a free tool available at TonyRobbins.com.  This tool allowed me to rate this area of my life on a 10-point scale.  Then I answered 9 questions for each area to generate goals and an action plan for success.

Current state of mastery:
I rated myself a 4 out of 10.  Plain and simple, I don’t work out enough, I eat an unhealthy diet, I have very poor posture, and I rarely feel full of energy.

Desired outcome:
At the end of the year I will be extremely physically fit.  My body will exude confidence and masculinity.  I will have muscles that bulge from underneath my shirt (Think Marlon Brando in, “A Street Car Named Desire.”)  I’ll finally have a six-pack again and a body that I will gladly take to the beach and show off.  Hey ladies!

My posture is straight and conveys confidence.  I breathe fully and more deeply, and my voice is deeper because I speak from my lower chest using my diaphragm.  I feel better and radiate charisma and charm.  I look younger and happier as a result, and the effect wears off on other people.  I also eat healthier, and fill my body with foods that support me and energize me.

Resources that are available to me to help achieve mastery:
Gym membership, fitness classes, P90X, cheap yoga classes, meditation center near my house, the Alexander Technique, healthy eating cookbooks/recipes, the library, online forums, and fitness groups.

Mentors or coaches that are available to me to help achieve mastery:
Fitness class instructors, yoga teachers, meditation coaches, personal trainers, and friends that are already achieving a higher level of mastery than myself.

What actions or rituals do I need to establish so that I have daily discipline to follow through and create results:

• Working out 6 days a week for at least an hour.
• Attending yoga classes 2 times a week.
• Meditate every day for at least 15 minutes.
• Keep a journal of what I eat (count calories).
• Create meal plans every week consisting of healthy recipes.
• No more soda!

What specific measurable goals am I going to accomplish this year:

• Run a half marathon
• Put on 10 pounds of muscle
• Lower body fat level to 8%
• Achieve Nirvana (just kidding…maybe)