Long Term Vs Short Term Goals

Is it better to focus on long term goals or short term? For me, I like short term goals, although I keep the long term goals in mind. I like to think of the long term goal in little segments. Not only do they seem more attainable, but they provide a more immediate sense of accomplishment. I also think, as mentioned in my earlier post about attitude and success levels, short term goals give you a better attitude.

For example, let's say you have a goal of 25 pounds to lose. If you focus on short term goals, like one pound at a time, then you get to celebrate 25 one pound accomplishments. Your motivation stays in tact and you keep moving forward. However, if you focus on just the 25 pounds, you have just one victory, and the whole time you're going through the process, you're thinking "I still have x more to lose"

I think long term goals are important, but can't be the focus of the day-to-day activities.

Goals should be SMART, right? Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. I think that's where a lot of us go wrong... we don't think about goals SMART-ly. So let's rewrite the goal of the 25 pound weight loss to make it SMART.

• I want to lose twenty-five pounds by following my nutrition strategy and working out at least three days a week, at an average loss of one pound a week, this will take me six months. 

So why does making this goal SMART give it a better chance of happening? First, you're taking off the pressure of focusing on the twenty-five, and you're focusing on the one pound per week. Also, you're giving yourself six months to lose the weight, not twelve weeks, or something that is simply too fast. It also allows you room to make mistakes, by saying "average of 1 pound a week." We all need to forgive ourselves for being imperfect sometimes and by building that into your goal, you've opened the door to success.

Let's try writing a few more SMART goals - these are examples, not my actual goals:

• I want to run the Boston Marathon in 2012 by training four days a week and following a training plan I found online. 

• I want to fit in a pair of size smaller pants on Christmas morning by eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day and only eating junk food once a week and working out 4 hours a week.

So, is your goal SMART? I like SMART goals because they combine long and short term goals, so you don't lose sight of the bigger picture while you're working on the daily activities to get you there. Also, focus on doing one thing at a time. I remember something my friend said about running, she said "you can work on running longer or you can work on getting faster, but you can't do both at once." I think of this often when I am at the gym or at the supermarket - it's about doing one thing at a time. Do good for yourself; one thing at a time.