Since a large portion of the country has been experiencing a winter wonderland recently, it’s only appropriate that I share a post on a concept called the “Goal Snowball” for setting and achieving goals. Alwyn Cosgrove, one of the country’s top trainers and co-author of The New Rules of Lifting series, wrote about the Goal Snowball on his blog:
“These are great goals — but most people are trying to do too much at once. John Berardi has said that studies show that if you want to make one change in your life, you have an 85% chance of success. However if you try to change two things at once, your chances of success drop to around 35%. Three things at once? Almost zero.”
All too often, we tend to take on too much at one time, as eager as we are to see results. The idea is to cut down your big goals into smaller, bite-size benchmarks to tackle one by one, developing good habits along the way.
Here’s an example:
Say your goal is to eat more healthfully and overhaul your diet. That is a tall order and very overwhelming. You’re trying to overcome years of habits in a relatively short amount of time.
A good place to start might be aiming to eat 15 grams of protein at breakfast everyday. Whatever you choose, it must be something that you are 90-100% confident you can do everyday. It should feel fairly simple and easy. You give yourself permission to forget about everything else and save your precious willpower, which is a finite resource. After 2 weeks or so of consistent effort and success, you can choose another habit to change, such as eating a vegetable with each meal.
A lot of times making one small good habit leads to other near effortless habit changes elsewhere. Eating protein at breakfast may keep you feeling full all morning and satisfied so that you make better choices at lunchtime, which can lead to more energy to fit in your workout in the evening.
The Goal Snowball sets you up for success rather than failure. Each little victory along the way gives you the momentum you need to power through the tough times. This concept has worked well for my clients, and I hope it helps you to reach your goals this year.
Here’s an example:
Say your goal is to eat more healthfully and overhaul your diet. That is a tall order and very overwhelming. You’re trying to overcome years of habits in a relatively short amount of time.
A good place to start might be aiming to eat 15 grams of protein at breakfast everyday. Whatever you choose, it must be something that you are 90-100% confident you can do everyday. It should feel fairly simple and easy. You give yourself permission to forget about everything else and save your precious willpower, which is a finite resource. After 2 weeks or so of consistent effort and success, you can choose another habit to change, such as eating a vegetable with each meal.
A lot of times making one small good habit leads to other near effortless habit changes elsewhere. Eating protein at breakfast may keep you feeling full all morning and satisfied so that you make better choices at lunchtime, which can lead to more energy to fit in your workout in the evening.
The Goal Snowball sets you up for success rather than failure. Each little victory along the way gives you the momentum you need to power through the tough times. This concept has worked well for my clients, and I hope it helps you to reach your goals this year.
What small change are you making this week? What’s your next step?