How Anyone, Even You, Can Set Goals Like A Pro

Dave: How do you set goals like a pro when you're talking about nutrition, exercise, fitness, health - things like that?

Tanner: I like setting goals at the beginning of the year, each year. Setting a vision for what you want to accomplish is a good way to start the year. Obviously at the beginning of the year people have New Year's Resolutions - which I'm not a big fan of.

I do think there is a difference between setting specific goals or commitments that you would like to follow through with that are important to you - and that you value. Versus a pipe dream or a wishful thinking along the lines of, "I'd like this this year," but you're not willing to work for it.

A lot of the clients that I work with are committed to some degree or another because they're paying a lot better money to see and work with me than their going to pay at a commercial gym to not have a coach. They're making the commitment saying, "I want the help, I want the instruction, I want the guidance."

Bridging the gap from hey, I'm here I'm paying monthly and actually following through with the goals that are most important to them - that's the challenge. Each person is bringing their own baggage, their own life responsibilities, their own stressors - life in general - and it's tough to manage that.

One thing that I seek to do as a coach is to find those little 'tickers' that really set people off and ultimately finding their why. Everyone wants to look good. Everyone wants to feel good in a bathing suit or have a lean stomach and strong looking body, but so many people don't see that through. A lot of people want it and they think it, a yet, bridging the gap from the desire to action is difficult.

I try to find those little things, again, those 'tickers' that get them to realize their own why. I want them to think, "Okay, I want this, but why do I want this so bad?" For me, I've been skinny my whole life and now I want to have a strong body that people can look at and think, "dang, he must work out!" That's a motivator for me. My genetics and life history motivate me to want to be a little bit bigger and have more muscle mass.

My life experiences are motivators for me.

So finding people's life experiences and drawing them out and harnessing them into positive action. 

Ultimately being accountable through multiple conversations and reminding - we need reminders, we get distracted very easily - and not having accountability of someone constantly seeking you out, that's something that I need to do better as a coach. I am working hard to remind people and constantly ask them about their goals. They've committed to it and said, since January, "these are the things I want to accomplish and these are the goals that I'm committed to." We need to revisit those constantly - go back and ask why are these important.

Goal setting and realization is very difficult. Business owners will have great ideas in their mind but a lot of it gets lost in the mind. Sitting down and saying, "I'm going to do this one thing really really good." It's hard but when done correctly, that's where the results are at!