Follow up to behavior modification

Many of you have asked a few questions about my post on behavior modification so here are a few points to remember.



Step Two - Strategy
Turning lofty ambitions into consistent action.
OK so I know what my vision is...now what? How do I build my strategy?

You need to write down your goals. In writing your goals you may have heard of creating SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Achievable Realistic/Relevant and Time bound. In my pursuit of adding personal training to my tool belt I have come across something called SCAMPI goals which are as follows;

Specific - There are countless studies that show specific, challenging goals return better performance than easy goals, no goals or just giving it your best shot. In writing your goals be very specific. If it is working out that you said you were going to do in 2012 write down how many workouts per week. If it is to lose weight write down how many pounds and what your body fat percentage is you want to be at.

Challenging - people who set Challenging goals are more apt to achieve more than the people who set modest ones. Start your goals at the far end of your abilities which should inspire more of an effort on your part and will bolster your confidence when you achieve that goal.

Approach - Your goals should concentrate on the desired ends to move toward, instead of the negative things to avoid. Avoidance goals bring up memories of setbacks and or failures. People that use this approach with a lot of avoidance goals are not as happy and less motivated than those who continue to work towards the ultimate goal.

Measurable - Measuring your progress towards your goals allows you to determine whether your plan is working.   Quantifiable goals illustrates continual progress by minimizing the tendency to look at success in an all or nothing point of view. Which also has a tendency to lead minor setbacks build into a relapse.

Proximal - This is where the magic happens. Along with your long terms vision also put in near term, proximal goals. These near term goals take you to an enhanced performance level and improves your confidence and determination. For example when I planned to complete my SPHR re-certification (60 hours) , I set up a proximal goal to complete 20 hours of credit each year and broke that down into another goal to achieve 10 hours every six months.

Inspirational - This is another opportunity for the magic to happen.Ensure that your goals are inspiring in the sense that they are in alignment with your own ambitions. You will strive towards those inspiring goals with more interest and confidence leading to improved performance and persistence.

Step Three - Belief
Minimizing fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Here are three tips to foster your belief in achieving your goals.

Use small steps first - Start with modest goals and build them up in small increments.Goals should be just at the tip of your reach yet attainable.

Picture it in your mind - High achievers routinely visualize what they expect to accomplish. Research has shown that mental practice works. Visualize every specific part of your SCAMPI goals in vivid and specific detail often and you will achieve success.

Schedule Negativity - If you are one who has self doubt sabotage your efforts on a regular basis. Try setting aside a small window of time say only 30 minutes at just one point of the day. Another variation of this is to limiting that negativity to a specific location. There is research out there that has shown that anxiety can be lessened if it is kept to 30 minutes a day. If these are to "New Age" for you something that I do often is to "wait to worry" if it hasn't happened yet and or if there is something that I can do to avoid what ever the worrying thing is, I chose to wait to worry about it until it truly does happen. Most of the time the "what if this happens" never does yet you wound up spending a whole lot of time worrying for nothing. So next time wait to worry and in the meantime focus on the positive things.

Step Four - Persistence
Drive and determination

How do I stay the course?

Successful people work hard and overcome adversity. They persist. Here are three tips to help in your endeavor:

Reward your success - When you achieve one of your proximal goals celebrate it. In training my girlfriend when she hit her first milestone we went shoe shopping together. She got to spend time with me while pursuing her long time hobby of finding that perfect pair of shoes.

Create a circle of excellence - Ask for support from your family and friends. Create a circle of people who are knowledgeable about the goals you are achieving and or who are striving towards the same goals. In my pursuit of learning how to salsa dance in addition to taking lessons I went on line and found a meet up group and now I have a large number of new friends who also enjoy the pursuit of salsa dancing. 

Have a plan for setbacks - you should always expect to accomplish your goals and in the same vein you should prepare for setbacks. A simple plan is to have a designated person from your circle of excellence that you know you can trust so that when you do slip you can call in speak with this person to help get you back on track. Another idea is to have a reminder card set aside with inspiring messages to refer to. I have an entire dream board that I put together with various quotes and pictures as symbols of what I am striving for.

Follow these tips and you should be in for a very successful year!