On my article on Creating a Healthy Bodybuilding Lifestyle, I discussed having the time to take care of yourself. If you’re reading this you are obviously aware of the wonderful and profound benefits that come with beginning a healthy bodybuilding lifestyle. So what’s the next step?
We must now determine what your goals and intentions are. Your goals are the details associated with what you’re trying to ultimately accomplish out of your bodybuilding program. In other words, a goal might be to lose body fat while gaining muscle. The intention associated with that goal might be to feel excitement or happiness about having less body fat. You can look at the setting of intentions as the next step in goal setting. It helps to define the quality of the outcome you desire when you reach your goal. It’s the goal of the goal, or the core benefits received from accomplishing that goal.
Did you notice the key word? To Feel! A feeling is an emotion and that emotion, excitement or happiness (for this example), is actually the most important thing to strive for. For without the emotion, your action and reason for attaining that goal may not be fueled with the level of motivation and inspiration you need in order to successfully achieve that goal. So the next time someone asks you what your goal is, rather than just describing the thing you’re trying to achieve, include the emotion that you are working towards feeling when you reach your goal. Let’s do an exercise that will help you to define a goals and your intention for achieving the goal.
With this exercise you will discover the truth behind your desire, the limits of your belief, and the level of your acceptance. Please answer the following questions:
- Desire: What exactly is your goal?
- Belief: Do you truly believe you can have what you desire?
- Acceptance: Believe, without doubt, that you already have what it is you desire.
- Write down one of your personal goals, such as “losing weight,” “joining a gym,” or “walking 3 miles a week.”
- Now write down the feeling you will have once you attain that goal. Try to pick a single word to describe the feeling, such as confidence, longevity, or healthfulness.
- That feeling is your real goal.
People often choose goals without really thinking about their reasons for wanting to attain them. In other words, if you were to ask 8 out of 10 people what they’d want if they could have it “right now,” they’d most often say something vague and automatic like, “A million dollars.” However, it’s often not the money that would bring most people satisfaction, but rather the result of their feelings of having security and/or freedom as a result of attaining the money. The beauty of this lesson is that it reveals to people that their intended goals might not really be aligned with their true intentions. If people focused more on the end result of happiness, security and financial freedom, perhaps they could reach their goals on many different levels and in many different ways, rather than just “hoping for a million dollars,” which may be a bit far fetched… or a long time coming!
Final Thoughts
Everything you would like to achieve can happen much more naturally when you know that you have clearly written intentions. Following consistent action steps coupled with clear intentions will produce the body and the life you truly seek.
Believe & Achieve!
About the Author
James Villepigue, is an ISSA and ACE certified fitness trainer, as well as a National Best Selling Author and Life/Empowerment Coach. James is co-author of the widely successful Body Sculpting Bible book line that started with "The Body Sculpting Bible for Men" and "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women". He is also author of his soon to be published "Mind Over Muscle" book, which teaches the reader how to achieve their dream figure by using techniques to train their minds in order to unleash their full potential, and his latest e-book "Goal Mining", which teaches a step-by-step method to achieving any goals in life . James can be contacted for a complimentary coaching session by visiting him at www.lifecoachjames.com.
