If you're feeling in a rut, raise your hand!
Sometimes we go through ebbs and flows where we're just not feeling it.
No motivation to workout, no desire to make any real changes, and you kind of just feel stuck.
This commonly happens in two situations:
1. You haven't done anything in a long time, you're tired, stressed, and lack any motivation to do anything.
2. You are working out on a regular basis, you may have hit a fat loss goal or two, but you're kind of wondering "what's next?". You find yourself losing interest and just going through the motions.
Either way, I'm going to challenge you to try something.
Hear me out...
There are three types of goals.
Outcome based, process based, and performance based.
Most people start this journey with an outcome based goal.
This would be things like wanting to lose 20lbs, wanting to drop 4 pant sizes.
In this case, we're obsessed with the outcome.
We may be able to muster up enough motivation to hit it, we may not.
We're just obsessed with the outcome.
The struggle comes when one of two things happen...
You're so obsessed with the outcome that you don't enjoy the process, you give up before the outcome is ever achieved, and revert back to your old habits.
Or, you achieve the outcome (lose the 20lbs) and expect that everything is going to change.
You quickly realize that you feel better and look better, but you're still not satisfied because you were just obsessed with the outcome.
Outcome goals do not equal happiness.
So you may start with an outcome goal, but if you want to have any long-term success you have to quickly shift down the spectrum to the next kind of goal.
Process-based goals.
These are goals we're you're all about the process.
Maybe it's hitting 100 workouts in 6 months.
Maybe it's trying to get a certain amount of pounds lifted each workout.
Or maybe it's hitting a certain number of servings of vegetables.
The important thing about process goals is you can control them.
I can control if I get 100 workouts in, I can't control the outcome (20lbs).
Now funny enough, when you focus on the process (100 workouts) the outcome tends to have a higher success rate.
Process goals get you bought into the journey.
You're purely obsessed with the process of everything.
The process of hitting 15 workouts this month.
The process of staying under a certain amount of calories each day.
You're not hunting for an outcome and expecting a pot of happiness to dump upon you, you just love the process.
Here at Spurling, we use process-based goals like the Frequent Sweaters Club and the #100WorkoutChallenge.
Finally, the ultimate goal is the performance based goal.
This is when you become obsessed with your performance.
This could be things like completing your first 5k, tackling an obstacle course race, or competing in a powerlifting competition.
Here, you, of course, want a certain outcome, and you need to follow a process, but the emphasis, the focus, is on the performance.
This is where the ultimate life long journey is built.
You find a performance based goal, you conquer it, and then you find a new one.
The best part?
The outcome-based goals and the process-based goals have a much higher success rate when you find a good performance based goal.
Think about it...
If I'm about to tackle my first obstacle course race...
I'm going to have to train a couple days a week...
I'm going to have to get stronger...
I'm going to have to get leaner...
All of those outcome based goals will happen as a by-product of focusing on the performance based goal.
So...
My question for you.
What's your performance based goal?
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling
PS: If you're looking for a great first performance-based goal we're just over a month away from our 2nd Annual Spurling Charity 5k. Register today to save some money, get a t-shirt, and be eligible for medals and cash prizes. Register here ===>>> 2nd Annual Spurling Charity 5k