Goals: Action v. Results

I have a goal to lose 50 pounds before the end of the coming summer. 50 pounds in six months is less than 10 pounds per month. So it is not an unreasonable goal. However, there is a problem with it. It is a results-oriented goal rather than an action-oriented goal. So what's wrong with results goals? The problem is, while we have direct control over our actions, we only have indirect control over the results. In other words, the ability to meet results goals is not entirely within our control.

For example, anybody who has ever fought the battle of the bulge has most likely had an experience something like this: (1) they set a goal to lose two pounds in a week; (2) they did all the right things, all week long; (3) they got on the scale at the end of the week and learned that they had not lost anything -- maybe even gained a pound. Even though they did all the right things, the scale did not cooperate.

What happens next? Feelings of failure, discouragement, depression. We exclaim, "I worked my butt off all week and still failed! Why do I even bother? Even when I do everything right, I still can't win!" We then begin the new week with a feeling that it doesn't really matter what I do, I can't succeed, so why try. Of course that is a recipe for failure.

That, in a nutshell, is a major reason my wife and I ended up gaining back all the weight we lost in 2003-2004. We had nothing but results-oriented goals, which we measured by scale weight and bodyfat percentage. As we got closer to our ultimate goal, the results did not come as easily as they had before. It was not at all uncommon to work all week to lose a pound or two and see no progress at all. Very discouraging. Simply put, it's very difficult to be motivated when you feel like you are not in control.

Action goals, on the other hand, are directly within our control. Thus, they cannot lead to feelings like "even when I do everything right I still fail -- so why bother?" When we fail to meet our action goals, we know exactly where we went wrong and exactly what we need to do better next time.

Here are some examples of what I mean by action goals.

This week, I will:
- Write down everything I eat.
- Eat no more than X number of calories.
- Exercise at least X minutes each morning.
- Run/walk/bike/etc. X number of miles.
- Go to the gym and lift weights X number of days.

I firmly believe that as we implement action goals, rather than simply using results goals like we did last time, we will have more success in getting and staying fit.

I plan to post my goals on this blog and to report in where I succeed and where I fail. I will also be posting my results-oriented goals, because I do believe they can be helpful. But I will no longer focus solely on results goals as I have in the past.