Crush Your Limiting Factors, Achieve Your Goals in 2013

Like most of the people on the planet at this time of the year, when not humming the 12 Days of Christmas and eating figgy pudding, I spend some time reflecting on the past year's goals and setting new goals for the coming year. Last year I had set various professional and personal goals. I was successful in some of them, not as successful in others. 2013 will be no different, I will set goals and make resolutions and I will give an honest effort at achieving them all.

I know 99% of the people reading this are going to set some kind of goal or make some kind of resolution within the next week. I think that's awesome because it means you are looking to better yourself and maybe even the world around you. That's admirable. The other 1% is already perfect in every way, has the world revolving around them just so, and doesn't need to make any resolutions or set any goals to better themselves. 

With this blog entry I want to give you a key piece of advice to help you achieve your goals and be successful with your resolutions. Know your limiting factor and set the goal/resolution accordingly. If you find that your resolution 3 years ago to lose 20 pounds is now a resolution to lose 35 pounds, then there is some limiting factor that is stopping you from achieving that goal. Find out what it is and crush it. Chances are there are more than one limiting factor. Rather than trying to eliminate them all at once, start with the one that will give you the most bang for your buck and eliminate it. Then move on to the next one. As an example, let's say your goal is to lose weight, but you currently don't exercise, you don't eat vegetables (unless you count the lime in your drink), and your boss is mean and really makes you stressed out which messes up your hormone profile and causes you to store more fat. One solution would be to knock all those limiting factors out with one fell swoop by quitting your job and becoming an organic vegan farmer (lots of exercise, lots of veggies, you are your own boss, lots of morality). 

Sigh, if only....

While that may work for most, some of you may need a more conservative approach. So let's start with adding in 3-5 hours of exercise per week. But make it meaningful. Get into a training program with like-minded individuals and a coach that is going to design the program for you. You get accountability, you have fun, you get results. Limiting factor eliminated. But you're just getting going. Now let's attack the nutrition. Start out by adding one healthy habit at a time and let it sink in for a couple weeks before adding another one. For weeks 1 and 2 start taking fish oil and a multivitamin. In weeks 3 and 4, make sure you always stop eating at 80% full. Weeks 5 and 6, make sure you're getting 2-3 servings of vegetables a day. In weeks 7 and 8, eliminate processed carbs from 90% of the meals you eat. Slowly but surely you will start making progress that will stick. Can anybody sit there and tell me that if you identify and eliminate one limiting factor at a time that this won't work for you? 

An anonymous smart person once quoted, "The size of the steps are not important, as long as they are going in the right direction.". I say right on! I also say, if you want the steps to be in the right direction, you could start with taking your first steps through the door here. We can certainly help you :) 

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Healthy, Prosperous New Year to all!!