Achieving Goals
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3 Things Navy SEALS will teach you about achieving your goals

Only 8 percent of people stick to their New Years Goals – that’s less than 1 out of 10 people. When you start a new year or decide on a big goal, it’s a fresh start and anything and everything seems possible: 6 pack abs, better relationships and savings tons of money will be a certainty when April rolls around. Only 92% of the time, it doesn’t happen. We’ve all been there: stress, work, kids, bills and life happen and you end up fighting just to keep your head above water.

So what do the 8% of people that reach their goals do differently? They excel at doing the following 3 things:

  1. They have a “Why”.
    Navy SEALs all have a compelling reason for entering the BUDS training program – and they have to as it is the most difficult military program on the planet that will test every ounce of their physical endurance and mental toughness.With only a 25% (or less) pass rate, the SEALs that make it through have such a strong reason for being there that they can push their limits beyond failure. Some join because they believe so strongly in their country that they would give their lives to defend it. Others may have lost a friend or relative in combat. And many are called because they want to be able to see if they can answer the bell and become a part of the most elite fighting force in the world.The reasons may vary, but they all have a greater purpose to drive them past pain, exhaustion and quitting.For years, my nutrition store business partnered with an extreme weight loss kick boxing class to do meal plans and body measurements during their 10 week program. Every time that I would be working with someone to do their body fat analysis, I would ask them “What brought you here to the 10 week program and what is your goal for the program?”  From their answer,
    I could immediately identify the ones that would succeed from the ones that wouldn’t.Some people would say “I want to get back into working out” or “My doctor told me I need more exercise”. These nice folks were about as inspired as a dead moth.

    Other people would tell me “My boyfriend just dumped me for another woman and I’m going to show him” or “I’m going to look amazing in a two piece swimsuit at my sister’s wedding”.  These people were fired up and about to kick some ass – all because they had a powerful reason – a why – for their goal.

  2. They break down big goals into smaller steps
    Setting a goal like “losing 30 pounds” or “save $10,000” are big, powerful goals for most people. The problem with setting big goals is that when things don’t go your way and struggles arise (which they inevitably will), frustration sets in and quitting becomes attractive.Quitting is encouraged in Navy SEALS training as they want to weed out and keep only the best of the best. The Navy SEALS that make it through their training are the most mentally tough people on the planet – their 3rd week of training consists of 5 ½ days of cold, wet, brutally difficult operational training on fewer than four hours of sleep. Hell Week tests physical endurance, mental toughness, pain and cold tolerance, teamwork, attitude, and ability to perform work under high physical and mental stress, and sleep deprivation.

    Imagine days of this on zero sleep with hardly any breaks or food.

    Instead of thinking “How can I make it through 5 ½ days on no sleep through brutal mental and physical pain?”, the SEALS that make it through are good at breaking down the task at hand into very small steps such as “I just need to make it to my next meal” or “I need to complete this exercise”. They have mastered the art of breaking down an extremely difficult task into smaller, achievable steps without getting sidetracked by the seemingly impossible task.

    Likewise, “losing 30 pounds by summer” could be broken down into smaller steps such as “Today, I am going to go to the grocery store and buy lean protein and vegetables and prep my meals for the week” or “I am going to go to the gym and have a killer weights/cardio workout”. Breaking down big goals into smaller chunks – by the day and by the week.

  3. Hire a coach/mentor
    The best in world at anything inevitably has a coach to help them take their game to the next level. Weather it’s a world class athlete, entrepreneur or musician – it takes someone with the knowledge, outside perspective and roadmap to success to bring out the best in any performer. Tom Brady has an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Tiger Woods has a swing coach and Steve Jobs had a board of directors. Navy SEALS are the best soldiers on the planet and have drill instructors that have been through the rigorous training and in real combat situations.Too many people try to do it alone or reinvent the wheel. If your car broke down and started smoking, would you try to fix it by yourself if you had no experience fixing cars? Of course not, yet this is the exact approach that many people take when they try to achieve goals for the New Year. They guess on what exercises to do in the gym and foods to eat or how to budget their finances with no real knowledge base to operate from.Instead, the 8%’ers think “I don’t really know how to do X, but I’m sure that I can learn from somebody that does” and they are OK in admitting that they don’t know how to do something. Someone has already achieved whatever goal that you are striving for – why not ask them for the roadmap instead of driving around without a clue on how to get to where you want to go?

    Make 2017 the year you achieve that big goal that has eluded you.

    Find your why. Have a big goal and break it down. Hire a coach. Be an 8 percenter.