Written by: Natalie Naaman, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
With January in full swing and many of us getting stuck into what our goals are for 2024, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding goal setting and for many, even knowing where to start, especially when it comes to setting new and big goals which they have never achieved before (the best type of goals, in my opinion!). With that in mind, and before we get too far into this New Year, I wanted to share my top tips on successful, sustainable goal setting and focusing on why it’s so important to get clear on your “Why”. This is what I believe to be one of the key components in actually achieving anything in life, and I’m here to tell you why.
So, what actually is your “Why”?
The first step to achieving any goal in life is understanding the reason why you want to achieve it in the first place. It’s a bit like knowing why you are putting a particular address into your GPS navigation system. You put a particular postcode in because you know you want to get to a particular destination and have a particular experience. Without a distinct address and a clear understanding of the purpose behind your journey, reaching the destination becomes challenging, making it nearly impossible to achieve the desired results.
Your “why” is the exact reason why you want to achieve the thing.
With me so far?
That brings me nicely to my first top tip:
Get really clear on what you want and why you want it
If I were to ask you what your goal was, you may absolutely be able to tell me. If I were to ask you why you want to achieve that particular goal, you may not find that as easy to answer. As well as being a Mindset Coach, I am also a Personal Trainer, and this is a topic of conversation that comes up regularly, particularly with new clients. One of the reasons that people get “stuck” when it comes to achieving goals is for the exact reason that I’m talking about here: they are unclear about why they are doing it. Our why is ultimately what is going to drive us to that end goal, and it’s the reason that we will commit to something on a daily basis in terms of our daily habits and daily action steps that will get us to that end result.
So, what is your emotional connection to your goal(s)? If you’re unsure, this is the first step. This connection that you have needs to be so strong that it’s going to get you out of bed on the days that you really don’t feel like it. It’s going to be your superpower. If you can’t find a “reason” as such, perhaps there’s a person you’re doing it for? That person could be you, or it could be your kids, your partner… only you know the answer to that. Dig deep and make sure you are crystal clear on the answer to this.
Don’t compare your “Why” to anybody else’s
I cannot stress this point enough! Everybody is going to have a different “why” and rightly so! How boring would the world be if we all wanted the same things for the same reasons?
I’ll give you an example scenario. Let’s say I have two clients who I train in the gym. They are both there to lose weight, but they are there for very different reasons. Person A has a “why” which is related to the fact that they are diabetic and they are wanting to get themselves into a healthier body, and Person B has a “why” which relates to the fact they are going on holiday in 3 months and they want to feel confident and sexy on the beach. Person B could very easily show up, hear what Person A’s “why” is, and say “I’m here because I want to feel healthy on the inside”, but that’s not what’s going to get them up and to the gym in the morning. The image that they hold in their head of themselves feeling confident in their skin when on holiday IS what will get them up on those days they can’t be bothered, and that’s the difference.
Don’t feel like you have to have a particular “why” just because it’s what everyone else is saying. This has to be personal to you, and I want you to be really honest with yourself about what that is. There’s no right or wrong answer, all that matters is that it connects with you on an emotional level and that is really gets you going when you think about it!
Having confidence within yourself when it comes to what you are doing is what is important when it comes to your goals, and being confident with your reasoning “why” you’re doing them is vital. I recently came across a great Brainz article which was written a while ago, talking about the habits that confident people have. I encourage you to check it out here.
The challenges you face will seem easier when you are clear on your “why”
Challenges are a part of life. Whether we like it or not, we’re going to get hit with ‘em, and this is especially true when it comes to our journey towards our goals. If you have that focus and clarity with your “why”, every time you get hit with a knockback, you will find it a lot easier to bounce back and keep moving up towards that end result. It gives you a certain resilience about you, because you feel so strongly towards getting the end result no matter what happens. That resilience comes from the sense of purpose that you have which relates to why you’re doing what you’re doing, and having a clear sense of purpose will help you stay grounded, and prevent you from spiralling downwards when times get a little tough (which they likely will at some point on your success journey!).
Are you truly in alignment with your goals?
Being in alignment is something that is super important when it comes to goal-setting and achieving certain things, and it’s also a topic which I really love to talk about, so let’s talk about it for a minute. Firstly, I want to let you know a really simple way to help you figure out if you are in alignment or not.
To figure out if you’re in alignment with what you’re aiming for, you have to answer one simple question, which is this: “Does it make me feel good?”. If the answer is yes, you can be almost certain that you as a person are not only in alignment with your goal, but you are, in fact, in alignment with your purpose (a different topic for a different day; I’ll be doing an article on that, too!). You can probably guess with it means if the answer is “no”, right?! If the answer is “no” and you don’t feel good, but instead you feel a bit icky and just not quite right, then it’s highly likely that you are not in alignment with your goal OR your purpose. Getting that clarity on your “why” will help you get into alignment with what you are doing and why.
Conclusion
To summarise, getting clear on your “why” is a key element in not only achieving your goals, but also a key element in your transformation and personal growth journey. The clarity that you will have at this point will provide you with direction and purpose, and it will help you maintain that positive mindset that we all know will also assist us in achieving the things we truly desire.
Natalie Naaman, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Natalie Naaman is a Mindset Coach (and Personal Trainer), and her absolute passion and purpose is to help individuals become Healthy, Happy & Strong, both mentally and physically. Over the last 5 years, Natalie has been coached by some of the leading experts in the Mindset & Personal Development field, including the Godfather of Personal Development himself, Bob Proctor. Natalie is dedicated to teaching others how to reach their full potential, by giving them the tools & techniques to access their subconscious mind and in turn, create their own reality through their own thoughts and feelings. Natalie is certain that you are capable of achieving the life you truly wish to live.
