I’ve spoken previously on how important attitude is for athletes and people working at goals they set for themselves. You can read that article here. However, there is arguably something even more powerful… and that’s your Why.

Before moving on to my explanation… I want to clarify that I’m using a couple generic goals people set. But this following breakdown can be applied to any type of goal. And I am leaving out a lot of other pieces that come into play with people’s “why.” In this article I’m focusing on two of the main foundations to achieving goals.

Everyone has their own idea of why they’re doing anything. Obviously.
Though the reasons often are for oneself or for another person. Sometimes both. Neither which is a bad thing. It really comes down to the specific goal. I will say, typically every goal should benefit you in some way, even if done for another person. Yes, I know how it sounds, but it’s okay to be a little selfish when trying to achieve a goal. Even if it’s supposed to be benefiting someone else. I’ll explain…
Human psychology shows us that in order to change habits and pursue something long-term, there has to be something in it for us. In addition, it has to be tangible enough to easily see results and have milestones that mean something to you. For instance, if your goal is to lose 50 pounds, your first goal should be dropping 10 pounds. This is because the 10 pounds takes some effort, but not as much as 50 pounds does. And to the point of when you do something that benefits others, that gives you both a good feeling… well, I hate to break it to ya, but your brain only cares about the feel-good hormones you released when doing whatever it is that you did for that person.

Anyway, if you want a goal to matter, you have to give yourself a reason for it to matter.
If you’re trying to lose the extra fat because you want to be healthier, as great as that is, and you probably will be, it’s typically not enough to go the distance… unless you’ve had a major health scare (unfortunately even those don’t always do the trick). Nope, usually it needs to be something more superficial, and again… tangible. Like wearing the size you did a year or so ago. It doesn’t need to be this massive thing. Mainly because once you start getting a taste of victory and have established that you indeed can achieve some cool shit, then it compounds… then naturally you’re more inclined to keep cashing in on that compounding effect.

Just like not attaching your goals to something vague, you should avoid attaching it entirely to another person. It’s okay to be doing something with or for someone… but your goals should still have a selfish element. It’s the same concept as using “I want to be healthier,” but with one other issue that can make it a tricky road. If it’s attached solely to someone else, and their view on it shifts for any reason, that is a huge motivator for your motivations of pursuing it to vanish.

So in a shorter response:
Your why has to be important to you. Not to someone else. To you. This maintains not only your motivation, but your attitude, and discipline.

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