In todays highly results focused – impatient – world, GOALS act as a fascinating contradiction. They can be both hugely inspiring and motivating AND absolutely frustrating and disheartening.

The need to be patient and consistent in achieving your goal can zap the life outta motivation. Paying your dues… planting those seeds… doing your time… BORING!

Persevering through the tough times isn’t motivating. Sure it may be inspiring to observe from a safe distance as another person muscles on through. Or even a valuable, character building lesson to view in hindsight when you’ve survived and are finally reaping your rewards.

What is motivating right now in the moment is making progress. Seeing results.

True?

Enter: Action Based Goals.

Where rather than obsessing over the end goal you instead commit to taking the actions that will pave the path to the outcome you’re seeking.

To be clear I’m huge on paying your dues etc, HOWEVER I also know motivation requires progress and results. It’ll starve on discipline and patience alone!

Action Based Goals mean you get to acknowledge your progress every single day.

=> if you’re going to make effort every single day then some progress every single day is welcome and reasonable.

They get you walking before you see what’s at the end of the path.

=> rather than waiting for the perfect time which of course will never eventuate. Or holding out for a guaranteed finish line time and place, they mean you step forward and in doing so, give the next step the opportunity to present itself.

They mean you get to avoid scale disincentive.

=> that’s when you set an Outcome Based Goal, perhaps to lose 1kilo a week and then you jump on the scales after a whole week of clean eating and extensive exercising… and the scale remains cruelly, stubbornly stuck – it hasn’t even budged a gram. Scale disincentive can jump in at this moment with the highly unhelpful “Why do I even bother, I’m obviously meant to be fat” self talk.

They create the new habits that will make your healthy lifestyle sustainable.

=> the pressure that is inherent with outcome based goals can lead us to take desperate, unplanned, scattered actions. The program-hopping-shiney-thing-quick-fix approach. You know that long term health requires consistent, sustainable habits and action based goals will nurture these.

They give your structure and certainty.

=> the end of the path, that outcome where you will have your ideal body… the certainty in timeframe that is is so natural to crave before you commit to taking the actions, It Can’t Exist.

There are simply too many variables to consider.

Too many life events – both great and less so – that can jump in the way and push your outcome back.  You can however absolutely have certainty in your action based goals. They can provide a structure to fit your other life essentials around.

Let’s get into implementation mode.

If you’re on board with my weekly news series you’ll know that each week I provide a fat blasting tip under the categories FUEL (food), MOVE (exercise), LIFE (time).  So how about implementing one action goal for each category?

Here are a few under each category that work wonders for me:

FUEL:

1. Plan my 3 meals and snacks Monday to Friday.

2. Have fibrous vegetables and lean protein in each of my 3 main meals.

MOVE:

3. Walk to and from work Monday to Saturday.

4. 4 weights sessions a week.

LIFE:

5. Plan tomorrow with tasks in order of priority (and time allocated to each) the night before.

6. Count back 7 hours from when I need to get up tomorrow and get to bed by that time.

These 6 incredibly simple little action based goals carry huge bang for their fat burning buck.

And huge bang means RESULTS which makes feeling motivated to continue easy.

Ok, I’d love to know: What are the action based goals that work wonders for you?