#7. Goal setting Monday, August 10, 2020 We all have goals, some grander than others. Consider the typical goals of today's typical teens (we have to start somewhere; why not start at the ceiling of grandiosity?): "I want to be" begins the sentence, and then it ends someplace whimsical, such as "an NBA player" or "a pop star" or "YouTube famous!" To adults (who have realism in their hearts), these ambitions sound silly and unachievable. But at least they're specific, which is a quality that's often lacking in those with less exceptional goals, such as "I want to be more fit." I constantly find myself asking people, "What do you mean by more fit? Like you want to confront life's daily demands without fatigue? You don't want your whole body to get clammy at the first hint of exertion? Or maybe it's a matter of appearance, and what you really want is for the mirror to display a more rewarding portrait. Or is it about your attire (the literal fitness of your garments)? Perhaps you'd prefer to avoid the expense of new belts, but you'd enjoy piercing new holes in the stomach lassos you currently wear? Am I getting close? What exactly does more fit mean to you?" When I ask for this kind of clarity, I get a variety of responses. Few of them shed their ambiguity, such as: "I guess I just want to be healthy and..." (speaker lowers volume to a library whisper) "...sexy." Back to regular volume: "But mostly just general wellness, you know what I mean?" No, I don't know what you mean. Healthy, sexy, and general wellness are too vague. Try being specific. "Well, in that case, I'd like to get the six-packs out of my fridge and into my abs by the end of the month." Aha. Now we have a goal I understand. Not the noblest I've ever heard, but definitely more precise, which is a necessary first step toward attainment. We can't begin our trip until we have identified its destination. By way of comparison, think about your next vacation. "Where are you going for Labor Day?", I ask. And you respond, "Somewhere happy." We both know that's not a destination one can locate on a map. So no matter how intuitive your GPS is, it'll struggle to provide directions. Health is just like any other journey: before we can plot a course, we need precise coordinates. All right, let's get tippy: Tip 1) Set a macro goal. This is the big picture. The culmination. Try to be as specific as possible, e.g., "On September 1, at 2:00pm, I will arrive at the Fettuccini Hotel in Tuscany." But obviously make your goal about health, e.g., "My abs will be wearing a veiny six-pack by the end of the month!" That's health-oriented and specific, but not realistic. Let's give it one more round of revision: "Exactly one year from now, I will be 15lb lighter and I will own the abdominals of a teenage pop star aspirant." Good. We have officially set a large (i.e., macro) long-term goal. Ambitious but achievable. Once you've decided on the exact coordinates of your own health destination, write them down. That makes it feel like an emotionally-binding contract. Tip 2) Set mini goals. There is no lumberjack brawny enough to fell a tree with a single axe blow. And neither are we Paul Bunyans with the attainment of our health goals. We have to chop and chip away at them, day by day, week by week, month after month. No matter what your macro goal is, its accomplishment is a progressive journey. And marking its progress with mini goals (every month or couple of weeks) is an effective way to keep us on track. So take your macro goal and divide it into a dozen or so mini goals. If you're hitting these mile markers, you can feel assured that the achievement of your macro goal is only a matter of time. Tip 3) Don't neglect your micro goals. In other words, be mindful of your daily experience. The journey itself (each individual day's agenda) is just as important as your macro finale. To eventually cross that finish line, you must learn to appreciate healthy behaviors for their own sake. If you can enjoy exercise for the feeling it elicits, not just the reward it promises, you'll zip through your mini goals with seeming ease. But if you can't take pleasure in the process, you'll find the progress fairy to be pretty stingy with its compensations.