Big Goals Are Overwhelming!

Big goals ARE REALLY overwhelming!

I think personally, big goals are really overwhelming and intimidating, because they seem like they are so hard to achieve and it's such a journey to get there. Let’s use my pregnancy as an example. When I was pregnant I gained 30- 40 pounds each time. My first two I gained over 40 pounds because I had zero interest in nutrition, and I didn't eat healthy. I didn't watch what I ate; I just ate whatever the hell I wanted in sight, because it was the typical pregnancy. The last two, I was a little more knowledgeable, and I actually craved eating better; and so, I didn't have half a tub of ice cream every time I was pregnant.

So my first two pregnancies nobody told as soon as you had the baby, you didn't automatically shrink back into clothes. So, I packed my favorite juicy sweatpants in my hospital bag to take to the hospital after my first delivery. I gained 43 pounds, and for some reason, I thought: “after I have this baby I was going to lose it all” because it all discharged. Boy was I wrong! I wasn't giving birth to a 43-pound kid (obviously common sense, right?).



I had in my head I'm going to lose this weight in six weeks. Six weeks came and went in a blink, and I still felt fat and frumpy, however, I hadn't done anything different.  I hadn't made any goals, I hadn't tried anything different, and then I was down on myself because I didn't succeed. I put this big goal in mind to achieve, but I had no way of getting there, and then, two years goes by, we get pregnant again. I have my son, and fortunately, this P90X program was introduced to me, and it all of a sudden clicked, I can work out from home.

What is the biggest difference between this pregnancy and my first pregnancy? It wasn't the workout program necessarily or maybe it was. Ultimately, it was the influence and the idea of "I have to change I have to change something". I told myself I'm going to look my best in 90 days! I was going to accomplish it one week at a time. What am I going to change this week? What am I going to do differently this week? And when I master that, what am I gonna do the next week that I can work on?



So, the idea of setting mini-goals is that you can actually feel accomplished every single week. For example, instead of saying "I want to lose 45 pounds, and I better lose it in 30 days, if not, this doesn't work” you set smaller goals to feel more accomplished. You weren't meant to be fat, unhappy, losing sleep, and sick all the time. You were meant to feel good about yourself, and be the best version of yourself. So you guys might have all heard of smart goals.

If anyone is a Chalene fan, or have gone through any sort of personal development business practice, you've heard of smart goals. Smart goals are measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based. I know there are a lot of different versions of what smart goals are but that's in a nutshell. I don't necessarily use smart goals, I just set mini-goal. I love helping other people set mini goals for themselves because the lightbulb goes off: "ok, let's just start small”.

How To Set Mini Goals

Step 1: Write it down.

This sounds super simple, but it is probably one of the steps that MOST people skip {you're not most people right - you are a badass}

Pen and paper, totally go old school. I write down mini goals every single week as I do my meal planning on Sundays. I write down anything I wanna tweak in my diet, I write down what the workouts are. If  it's a weight training program, maybe I wanna up my weights a little bit; maybe I wanna push myself a little bit more in the minute interval that I have. Maybe I want to finish a book that I've been reading and it's been sitting on my bedside table; or finish an audio that I have. I got to carve that time out. So, I have to write it down,  I put it on my calendar. I have 5a.m. workout on my calendar, and I  have blocks of time for my business blocked down on my calendar; and those are mini goals for me to set each week, so I can achieve what I want in my business, so it does not distraught my time with my family.

I plan to do this when I have kids sleeping and other kids doing homework, so it's supposed to fit into my family time. Write them down!

Step 2: Start with the big picture.

Ok, so these next steps are kinda done with step 1, but I thought it was important that you understand first to grab a pen and paper and get busy on this step.

Now I know I said that big goals are overwhelming, but starting there is just the first step in order to create mini goals. Ask yourself these questions.

What is your overall goal?

Why do you want to accomplish this?

By when do you want to get this done?

Getting really clear on not only, what exactly it is that you want, knowing why is half the battle. Your why is what should fuel you to keep going each day, week, month, and eventually to completing the big goal that you have set for yourself.

Step 3: Set Your Mini Goals

90 days seems really far off, 6 months is really far off, so then you start hesitating. Let's get back into it, let's figure out those little goals that you need to overcome first, in order to get there. 70% to 80% of people are not all or nothing. Most people need baby steps, so to not feel overwhelmed. I already have 900 different other commitments, being a parent, getting my kids to their activities, I work full time, etc. Maybe you work two jobs, maybe you care for an elder one, maybe you don't have kids, and you have other things going on. You need simple, short, and easy goals that you can control each day. Here are a few questions to ask yourself once you know what your big goal is.

What can you do every day to achieve this goal?

What habits do you need to break in order to make this goal a reality.

How can you break those habits?

Step 4: Get some accountability

It's all well to write it down, and do a pretty visual, but if you don't have a way to get accountable, if you don't have somebody that's gonna hold you to it, it's so easy just to be like: "oh, fuck it! I'm not gonna do it". You need to have that partnership with somebody you can check in with every day.

By having somebody to hold you accountable or knowing that they're gonna be anticipating your check-in is amazing! It's such a game changer. That's why I love social media for that. When we put it out there in the universe, and you tell somebody what your goal is, and what you want to accomplish, you're more likely to stick to it, because they're there to help you get along the way. They're gonna cheer you on when you show up every day, or when you stuck to it for a week, you know?

BONUS STEP: Create a Vision Board

Vision boards are great, too. If you've ever done a vision board, do a vision board every month. Do a vision board every quarter. Just something that visualizes what you want to accomplish. Those who are going through their physical journey having pictures of things that make you feel good works great. If you just want to look and feel healthy, then find a healthy picture, or something, that makes you feel like you can obtain that. Remember the smart goals? They need to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Based. You've got to put a time on it . We're drawn to the vision of the way somebody looks, their mannerisms, the way they talk, how cute or funny their pictures are. We're in a social media era so we're drawn to the way something looks to us on a picture. So, that's what we tend to make a stop, and like it, or read it, or watch it.

Tools For Your Goals

Invest in a simple journal to document your daily food, your experience, your mindset, your wins, your goals, your struggles. It can be super cleansing to journal the process, so it's not all caught in your head!

I want to help you guys hit many goals. If you struggle, and you're like: "ok, I start and stop all the time, what do I need to do?” I wanna help you get there. A lot of times, I'm gonna encourage you guys to do a little bit of personal development. I'm gonna encourage you to learn why you need to change your mindset, and that is done by getting to the root of the issue. Sometimes you don't even know what that is until you start reading, and you start getting information. I would love to hear from you! What are your goals? What do you need help with? Let's chat!

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