[chrispghmuscle]

Here are five steps to follow when setting an effective goal:

1) Make sure that your goal is meaningful to you

Your goals must be ardently desired. Not merely desired, ardently desired. Make sure that the things you are investing your time and energy into are things you are passionate about. When you achieve it, you will be fired up about it. When you want something so much
that it eats on you, you'll get it.

2) Make your goals specific and give a deadline

You must fix a deadline to complete a work or achieve a goal. Without giving deadline to a work we often scatter our energy and the work may linger on for months and sometimes for years.

I will l.ose 15 pounds by August 31st, 2007 is an exact goal because you will know at the end of the time period if you did it or did not achieve it. Many people do not give themselves an end date because they are afraid of failure. In addition, not having an end date
allows you to procrastinate.

3) Write down your goals

Why is it important to have written goals? I know that unless you put your goals in writing, your chances of achieving them are quite small. When you have achievable goals written down, you then have
a plan and can contribute the most you possibly can into getting what you want from life by achieving your goals. Posting your goals on the refrigerator, bulletin board, or in your planner ensures that you will be reminded of them on a daily basis.

4) Review

Review your overall progress regularly. Make sure you are making progress. If you are not making progress, analyze why the goal is not being met. Don't allow the goal to just fade away. Figure out what you need to do to accomplish it. Check the prior steps starting with an assessment of how deeply you actually want to
achieve the goal.

5) Follow proven workable plans

Don't try to reinvent the wheel. There are many proven plans already existing that contain a workable blueprint for achieving your fitness goals. Once you have a good and workable program, all you would need is a commitment to stick with the same, and success would most certainly follow suit.

Chris