Goal Setting the Lance Armstrong Way

Alright, so you are interested in getting "Fit" but what does that mean and how do you know when or if you have actually gotten "Fit?" Too many people say they are setting a goal but they are missing out on 3 of the key concepts that go into setting a goal.

According to Chris Carmicheal, legendary coach to Lance Armstrong, there are three parts of a goal.

Part 1: What is your goal?

This has to be very specific. You cannot say, "I want to get fit." That is not measurable and you will never reach a goal like that. Olympic Marathoners wish they were more "Fit."

Here are a couple of other bad examples:

I want to run a race
I want to feel better
I want to look better

These are all too broad and cannot be measured.

Here are a couple of good examples:

I want to run 3 miles without stopping
I want to lose 10 pounds.
I want to ride my bike from Guyandotte to the West End of Huntington and back.

These three goals are very specific and you will immediately know when you have reached that goal.

Part 2: Set a Date

This is designed to keep you tied to the goal and not let it get out of reach. If you set a goal without a date tied to it, then you allow yourself to keep pushing that goal away.

You may start saying things like: “Oh, I can do that next spring or I have always wanted to do that and someday I will” Those two statements are people who are giving up on their goals or who have not fully committed to their goals.

Now, let’s go on to how to properly complete step 2 of the goal setting process.

Let’s take the good goal of “I want to run a race.”

That is a wonderful goal but now you need to set a date by when you want to run that race.

This is easy, go find a race and set your goal of running it. You can change it to something like…

I want to run a race on June 6^th

Great Job!! Now you have a date set and you will know if you have completed the goal or not!

Now on to the third part.

Part 3: Set a Place

We are using the example of wanting to run a race on June 6^th. To finish out your goal you need to say when and/or where you will be accomplishing that goal.

A complete goal will sound like this: “I want to run the WV 5K Championship in Huntington, WV on June 6^th.”

That is a complete goal. You have all of the characteristics of a goal set. Now you can focus and work towards achieving that goal.

Here are a couple of other good and bad examples:

Bad:

I want to get married

Good:

I want to get married to (Insert Name Here) on June 20^th, 2010.

Bad:

I want to lose 10 lbs.

Good:

I want to lose 10 lbs. by July 4, 2009. (Location would just be silly here)

Bad:

I want a promotion at work.

Good:

I want a promotion working for the Herald-Dispatch by January, 2010.