Optimism Performance Strategies
Having a positive attitude is one of the best ways to set yourself for success. Whether in the gym, the office or throughout life, the power of positive thinking is essential to accomplish your goals.
Not everyone is an optimist, but having a positive attitude is a choice that pushes us to believe in ourselves and reach for our goals, even when they seem out of reach.
One way to increase levels of optimism is by setting focused, acheivable goals. What are you training goals and how is your training session going to help achieve them.
Why is it important to set goals?
- Provides Direction - Goals give you something to aim for and create a driving force behind your actions in order to achieve.
- Clearer Focus on what is important- When creating a goal, think about what is important to you and why. If it is important to you, you are more likely to achieve it.
- Gives you a sense of personal satisfaction- Setting and reaching your goals makes you feel unstoppable and raises self-confidence.
- Gives you a sense of purpose in life- Goals give a sense of purpose and can help break your everyday routine of “just going through the motions”.
Goal Setting Strategies
S.M.A.R.T. GOALS
Goal setting is a fantastic tool that helps motivate and guide you on the road to achievement. However, in order to set yourself up for success, you must create a combination of long and short-term goals that are well thought out, realistic and timely.
S.M.A.R.T is an acronym for developing goals that you can actually stick to! It aids in the creation of goals that are:
- Specific - Your Goal should be as specific as possible and answer the questgions:
- What is your goal?
- How often or how much?
- Where will it take place?
- Measurable - Measurement will give you specific feedback and hold you accountable.
- How willl you measure your goal?
- Attainable - Goals should push you, but it is important that they are achievable.
- Are your goals attainable?
- Realistic - Is your goal and timeframe realistic for the goal you have established?
- Timely - This keeps you accountable and helps you in motivated
- Do you have a timefame listed in your SMART goal?
Examples of SMART Goals:
1. “I want to increase my physical activity by adding in one off day workout into my routine every week for the next 2 months.”
2. “I want to lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week for the next month by increasing my exercise routine by 2 days per week and eating 1,800 calories of clean foods.”
3. “I want to increase my squat personal best by ten pounds in the next 5 weeks by increasing my heaviest weight by two pounds each week.”
Mental Productivity Strategies
Productivity is the ability to get quality work done quickly and efficiently. The biggest factors that contribute to productivity are motivation, social support, time management and positivity.
In order to achieve a goal, a person must be putting enough time, energy and effort into something to accomplish their goals in the future.
How to become more Mentally Productive to achieve your goals:
- Be Positive
- Happiness increases productivity and rates of success.
- Create goals that you look forward to achieving and use them to inspire a positive attitude.
- If you struggle with being positive, celebrate the small victories. Whenever you notice progress, reach a new PR or just feel like you are crushing it, celebrate and use that as inspiration to continue to reach for your goals.
- Get Motivated
- Take some time and think about what is important to you, inspires you and makes you want to get stuff done.
- Create a step- by- step plan on how to use that motivation to achieve your goals.
- Reward yourself for reaching milestones along your journey to achieving your goal, this will help sustain motivation long term.
- Find a Support System
- Find a social support system of people who share common goals.
- Motivate each other, hold one another accountable and discuss your progress and setbacks along the way.