Have goals?  You should, but make them detailed and as specific to you as possible.  Here's a quick guide that will show you how to make this valuable tool work for you to get faster results.

When we sit down and talk with clients about their goals and what they want to achieve from their program at Genesis Personal Fitness, many give us the "standard generalities" like lose weight, be healthier, fit into my clothes better and alike.

The problem with generalities is that they are "too general" and not specific enough for the client to achieve because it's not really "all about them".

The first step to achieving timely and almost effortless success at Genesis is to clarify exactly what you really want.  The goal(s) has to have detail and must stimulate all of your five senses when you read or think about it.  Why?  Because what your mind conceives... you can achieve, but only if you know EXACTLY what you want.

So...

1) Determine

2) Write down

3) Talk about what you do want (not what you don't want)

Be as specific as possible. Once you have clarified what you want, do the following each and every day:

1. Morning Intention, Visualization and Releasing

As soon as you wake up in the morning, take about 5 minutes to focus your mind on your desires, goals and intentions. Start by sitting in a comfortable position, closing your eyes and visualizing your goal(s) as already being achieved. If it is having a 26 inch waist, spend 30 seconds to a minute thinking about it and visualizing what you'll look like when you get there.

When you do this, you will often find negative limiting beliefs that are the result of "negative programming or self-talk" will come up. You may hear thoughts like "I'll never reach that," "there's no way I'll ever have that small a waist," or "who am I kidding?" coming up. If you do, work to release and overcome that negative thought. Don't fight or argue with the thought; just release it.

Remember to also spend several moments feeling the feelings you would feel if you had already reached the goal. The intensity of the "feeling" is what fuels the intensity and power of succeeding.

2. Use External Images to Keep you Focused on Your Desires and Goals

To keep yourself focused on the goal you want to achieve, surround yourself with visual images of people that have the type of body you want to have. There are many techniques you can use for this. Here are a few:

1) Cut out pictures of people who have the type of body you wish to have and seem to be living a health, balanced lifestyle (like being at your ideal weight, having perfect health, more energy, more joy in your life, etc.) to remind yourself of how you want it to be. Tape them up where you will see them every day - on the mirror, the refrigerator, or your bulletin board. You can also scan them into your computer and make them into a screen saver or a continuously running PowerPoint program.

2) Combine your pictures and words that you cut out into a collage on a large piece of poster board.

3) Make an Achievement Book by putting the pictures into a 3-ring binder pasted onto the pages or slide into plastic page protectors.

When you look at any of these pictures, think the thought, "THIS IS WHAT I WANT! THIS IS WHO I AM!"

3. Think a Better Feeling Thought

Start paying attention to the many times during the day that you have emotional responses (to other people, experiences, or your own thoughts) that are not in alignment with having or producing your goal.

Pay special attention to when you feel disappointment, resentment, frustration or anger about your experiences and circumstances.  For example, when you see a person that has a leaner or thinner body than you do and they're eating a hot fudge sundae.

You must make a "shift" from how you usually react by changing your thoughts to ones that make you feel better. 

It is especially important to focus your thoughts and behaviors on things that cause you to feel good about yourself. Focus your thoughts on those things about yourself that bring you better self-esteem and hope for achieving your goal (your new smaller-sized clothes, your dining experiences as a thinner person, replacing your bigger belt size with a smaller one, your favorite vacation spot where you'll feel good to take off your shirt that's covering your bathing suit and the new
you).

4. Have an Attitude of Gratitude

It is critical to take time each and every day to focus on what you are grateful for. Some people do this in the morning before or after they visualize their goal(s); others prefer to do it in the evening.  Focus on all of the things in your life (most of which you take for granted) that you are grateful for - your health, your children, your friends, your job, the nice weather, electricity, running water, a nice place to exercise at (Genesis).

No matter what your situation, there are always things to be grateful for. The more you focus on what you are grateful for, the faster you'll reach your goal.  We don't know quite how this works, but it does.  The clients who seem to be the most gratefull are the ones that achieve their goal(s) that quickest. 

5. Take Action

If you want a better body, stay on track with your "fitness appointments" and refrain from changing appointments once you make the commitment to come to Genesis.  This makes your goal(s) a top priority and prevents you from accepting mediocre results from your efforts in both the exercise and nutrition apsects of your Genesis Program.

Here's a quick way to know if the actions you're taking are taking you closer to the achieving of your goal. If you are feeling good about yourself and how you look while you are doing them, then you are on the right path. Remember, feeling good about yourself is your internal guidance system, just like the GPS system in a car, telling you are taking the right actions.

6. Acknowledge That it is Working

If you start to see something change in yourself for the better, acknowledge that it is happening. Appreciate it. When the scale starts changing for the better, acknowledge it. When you get a compliment about how you look as the "new you", acknowledge it. When you unexpectedly fit into an even smaller sized pair of pants or skirt, acknowledge it. The more you acknowledge that it's working, the more it will work. It's that simple.

While there are many techniques that are variations on these themes that you can apply, there's nothing else you have to do. The key is being consistent with them!