It's what you do after your goal setting that has the biggest impact.

The start of a new year and even more so with the start of a new decade comes that time of the year when people hit hard with goal setting. But how often does it end up being a one-off task, with very little time, energy or attention to follow. When we are talking dreams, ideal lifestyles and goals one would think there would be a little more effort and duration in their pursuit but often there is not, particularly when it comes to those related to health.

 However, we are not what we do once, we are what we do consistently.

 What I have seen time and time again over my 20 plus years in the industry is that the people who stay the course long term are those who stay engaged in their journey. Those who realise the importance of being an active participant in creating what they have, do and feel in their life. Health, wellness and life in general is an ever-evolving fluid experience and those who embrace the push and pull of change, are those who have more long-term success.

 Change is a certainty, yet so many fail to factor this into their ongoing plan of attack. What works today or this month, may not be as effective at it once was and without a process to identify and rectify, it can be all too easy to stop getting results, fall of track. Not even really understanding why this has happened and therefore it can become difficult to get back on track.

The crucial element of staying engaged in one’s journey is their process of refining, adapting and adjusting as the flows of life and factors of change influence their habits. With the demands of modern urban life being higher than ever, having ok habits is simply no longer enough. To achieve any level of performance, vibrancy, optimal health and quality of lifestyle your habits need to be on point and consistently purposeful and effective.

Otherwise you end up simply surviving, just trying to get through the day and never reaching any significant levels that most set out to achieve in their “goal setting”. People end up playing the catch-up game rather than improving and thriving.

The key factors for nailing the refining, adapting and adjusting process

-       Getting to know your own body, listening and picking up on the sign and messages it’s sending you; How are you feeling after meals, training sessions, when you wake up, your energy and focus levels throughout the day, the emotions you are feeling and how to acknowledge and express these. Its in all these little indictors that let you know how effective your current set of habits are and what aspects need to be refined if things are not at optimal levels.

 -       A proactive mindset; most people only look to make changes with their habits well after change has occurred and their health, productivity or lifestyle have been suffering for some time. Those who engage in regular assessment of what’s coming up and pre-empt how future changes may impact their habits, can either make early adjustments or know to especially tune into their bodies at these time for any changes and then act before significant decline has occurred.

  -       Embrace your evolution along your life long journey; it will never be enough, you will need to move, nourish and support optimal performance of your body for the rest of your life, if you want there to be any real quality and level of activity about it. So get involved, enjoy it, surround yourself with positive support, keep learning and being curious about your body and how it works. This is all part of staying an active participant in your journey, deepening your knowledge and experiences and coming to a better understanding of what it means to you and your future.

 If there is one thing that should go hand in hand with any sort of goal setting at this time of the year, be it for yourself or those who you help empower along their journey, it should be how to embrace the ongoing process of refining, adapting and adjusting of their habits to keep them as effective and purposeful as possible in alignment with the goals that they set.