Commitments vs Goals
Commitments vs Goals
Recently a friend shared a blog post with me that resonated so strongly I wanted to highlight it here. The article focuses on the “words” we use and how they shape behaviour.
This really fits how I’ve been thinking and achieving my goals on my weight loss and health journey over the last 18 months.
When we say “my goal is to lose 20 kilos” or whatever it may be, it really does seem like a target, but something we don’ fully expect to meet and that missing is ok, since well, its only a goal right?
When we say “I’m committed to lose 20 kilos” for me at least that seems more concrete. In my case, my commitments were more around calories, so I committed to eat only 1500 calories a day. I tracked everything in MyFitnessPal and was really strict on what I would consume.
I also committed to walk at least 5000 steps a day. For me again this really worked, and not unknown for me to notice I was under that at 11pm and then get up and have a quick walk around the block!
One key point is keeping it simple. As soon as you need to think too much it gets hard. When I completed the Couch to 5K program I was about to call it quits, but someone gave me a simple challenge “just run 3 times a week”. When presented that simply, and then when I decided Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday would be the days, it really was easier to stick to that commitment. I just finished run number 148 since that day, and I only missed one run when I was sick! The routine and simplicity makes it so much easier.
Lastly, something I am still a bit uncomfortable with but think is really powerful is sharing progress. I started to post updates to Instagram after going running and adding some milestones I had reached. I really found the support and comments from friends and family motivating in a way I hadn’t expected.
Conclusion
- Keep it simple
- Track your progress
- Share your commitment
Do read the post on psyche.co as I think it really has a great message, and I hope some of my experiences above can inspire you to commit to something you want to achieve. Good luck!