Does Happiness = Size 0?

Have you ever thought about why we set the types of goals that we do?

The answer is quite simple. We are taught early on that goals should be easy to visualize. Often numerical or physical. A time or period that you can place a finger on that can be pinpointed as success.

✔️To lose a certain amount of weight.

✔️To fit into a certain pair of pants.

✔️To eat a certain amount of food, read for a certain number of pages each day, or wake up at a specific ungodly hour of the morning.

We set goals like these because they are scientifically proven to work. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel - therefore we keep running towards it. Goals achieved.

So what happens when your goals are harder to visualize? When the criteria for success are no longer obvious - and possibly ones we have to set for ourselves?

✔️To be happy.

✔️To reduce anxiety.

✔️To be more productive, less depressed, have more confidence.

How do you know when you’ve accomplished your goal?

I have recently begun working with a new client who told me they wanted to work with me to reduce their anxiety when going to the gym. The goal sounds great from the client’s perspective, and utterly daunting from a trainer’s perspective.

How will I know when they are having success?

And more importantly - will they know when they are achieving success?

Is this anxiety from a lack of knowledge?

From body dysmorphia?

Or do they simply dislike the gym and need something different?

The fear of any coach or trainer is that the client won’t see the success that they are working so hard for. The blame is often placed on the coach. In reality, the criteria for success weren’t set out before the program began.

If the light at the end of the tunnel was never turned on, how do we expect our clients to keep running towards it?

Before our first training session, I asked my client to write a list of ways that they can see their success. What does reduced anxiety look like for them - and how can I help them to reach those goals?

In order for me to be successful as a trainer, I need to know when my clients will feel success as well. It’s almost like the grading rubric that my clients can hold me accountable to.

It’s also the grading rubric YOU can hold yourself accountable to.

So what are the goals you want to meet this year? Most importantly - do you know what it will look like when you achieve them?