1 Rule for Progress: How NOT to Set Goals

After a mere 20 minutes, I had tunnel vision.

I couldn't pay attention to anything else happening around me. Every 2-5 minutes, a new opponent would appear, like clockwork.

I'm talking about the martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). Think of it as a bit like Judo, but with a focus on ground combat.

Back to the story.

Picture this: It was a Sunday afternoon, and over 30 people gathered at the PKG Fight Club in Los Angeles.

Out of the group, 5 people, including myself, passed their belt tests. On the day of the belt ceremony, all the other team members took turns challenging us, one by one.

How does that feel?

Imagine a race with your coworkers. After running 800 meters, a new colleague takes over. It's still 800 meters for them, but for you, it's now 1600 meters. This repeats 25 times.

The fights continued for over an hour without any breaks. Eventually, I had to face a great competitor in BJJ, Victor Silverio.

He seemed to have me in joint locks and chokeholds every few seconds. Occasionally, I'd hear someone mutter "dang" – a sign that Victor had applied a killer move on me.

In the end, I received my blue belt.

Was I happy? Absolutely.

Was the blue belt my goal? Not really.

Goals Can Trigger Frustration

Why "not really"? Because the blue belt wasn't my main goal. My true goal was to give it my all, and I definitely did that.

If the blue belt had been my sole focus, I would have spent two years feeling like I'd failed after every training session, thinking, "I still haven't reached my goal."

Was I ecstatic upon receiving the blue belt? Absolutely! I celebrated with pizza, ice cream, and a movie night.

But I knew this surge of happiness wouldn't last. In a few days, I'd be onto the next goal, the purple belt. It felt like a cycle of waiting for success for a long time, then suddenly achieving it and starting all over again. It just didn't seem worth it.

Focus on the process

Often, we set goals and feel down when we don't achieve them. We stress ourselves out, be it with work goals or personal life goals, much like New Year's resolutions.

There's an easier, less stressful way: concentrate on the regular process. This allows you to enjoy the journey, naturally improve, and still reach your ultimate goal, whether it's improving your strength or mobility, or undergoing physical therapy.

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I honed in on two things:

• Training 2-3 times a week.
• Giving it my all in each training session.

These factors were crucial to my progress. After every training session, I could pat myself on the back and feel good about it.

Instead of waiting for two years to be happy, I found joy 2-3 times a week. In simple terms, I was 200 times happier than if I'd only focused on the blue belt.

Approach physical therapy with this mindset:

• Show up to your appointments (2-3 times a week).
• Do your assigned exercises.
• Give it your all every session.

The goal to get back to moving well, getting rid of pain, etc. will naturally follow.

Marco Meyer |?CEO

Kinetic Care Group

#training #progress #martialarts #business #physicaltherapy?#busylife #goals

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