DUMB Goals for Maximum Success

By: Meghan Prescott

How often have you set a goal, whether it’s to eat healthier, exercise more, go to bed on time, read more/watch less, and end up back at the same place you started? Our tendencies as humans are often to make grandiose plans, jump in with both feet, and after a few weeks or months we fall right back into our old habits because we tried to do too much, too quickly, and we couldn’t sustain it.

Fad diets and weight loss gimmicks rely on this psychology. Those companies know that our nature is to want a quick fix that makes whatever we want to accomplish fast and easy with dramatic results. They also know that the same people will be back over and over to try again. The promises are too good, and we tell ourselves that it’s going to work this time, and this time, and this time, no, this time!

At No Shoes Nutrition we know that taking small steps in the right direction, over time, leads to big results. It’s always important to recognize that we didn’t get to where we are overnight, and it’s going to take time, effort, and determination to get where we want to be. This is why setting goals is so important, but it’s important to think about whether our goals are achievable and realistic! Setting goals, writing them down, then having a plan in place for getting there is a proven method for success. There’s a great acronym for goal setting that applies really well to what we do at No Shoes, and it can help us stay realistic, practical, and continuously moving in the right direction. D.U.M.B. goals are what we’re talking about!

Doable-Can you achieve your long-term goals with short term steps that will add up over time? For most people it isn’t practical to do a wholesale, sudden change of their diet, lifestyle, exercise routine all at once. Instead, start with doable steps. Add an extra serving of vegetables to each meal or start with one meal if that’s your level of “doable”. Park the furthest from the door and take the stairs or find a way to add a 15-minute walk or a 20-minute strength workout a few times each week. None of us can go from 0-60 without burning out if we haven’t been building up to it with small, achievable, doable steps. So, start small, with your goals in front of you, and start building towards the big changes!

Understandable-Make a plan that you can stick to and understand both the short-term and long-term benefits of. There’s a lot of power in educating ourselves about what we’re doing. It’s a helpful reminder along the way when we’re tempted to fall back into old habits.

Meaningful-Know your “Why”. If you have a strong reason for doing what you’re doing, write it down. Put it on your mirror, your fridge, wherever you see it every day, to remind yourself about your why. Be inspired by your why every day. Every choice you make flows from that, and it is a powerful motivator to keep going.

Believable-What makes a goal believable? If the first three things I talked about are already in place, your goals will be believable! If they are based in practical, achievable steps that flow from your why, then they’re believable. You know yourself better than anyone else, so set your goals based on what you know about yourself, believe in them, then tell some people in your life what you’re doing. Getting other people on-board as cheerleaders for you is a great way to stay accountable. This is where it’s important to remember that it might take a while to get to where you want to be, so don’t stop believing!

So, if you’re tired of trying the same things and never getting anywhere, maybe it’s time to set some DUMB goals, and get moving in the right direction, one step at a time. If you don’t know where to start, or you want some help to figure out what direction to move, we would love to talk! Contact us for a free 30-minute consultation, and let’s get moving!