Wolf Pact Challenge Week 1 | Creating Goals that Matter
Welcome to The Wolf Pact Challenge!
Rachel Hall, Director of Training
As you know, without a solid direction and plan in place, challenging yourself for the sake of challenging yourself just doesn’t have much of an effect on your life. We want you to be fired up, inspired and armed with an action plan ASAP to help you not only attempt to achieve your goals, but CRUSH them!
Read the steps below, then make sure you have at least 20 mins to sit down, a pen and paper, and a few goals in mind.
STEP 1: How do you want to feel?
Take a minute to close your eyes and picture yourself 6 weeks from now. It’s December 1, heading into holiday season. When you have accomplished this challenge, and stuck to the fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle goals you set for yourself, how will feel? Jot down the top 3-5 words that come to mind. No judgment, no second-guessing. Be honest with yourself about what you REALLY want - even if doesn’t seem like what you SHOULD want. This shouldn’t take more than a minute or two.
STEP 2: WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?
Take about 5-10 minutes and write down everything you currently want (no matter how big or small) in each of these aspects of your life:
Fitness: THINK strength, speed, endurance, body composition, commitment/ routine, pain reduction, mobility/rolling, aesthetics, etc
Nutrition: THINK water intake, alcohol intake, balanced meals, processed food, less sugar, save money, more prep, more planning, etc.
Lifestyle: THINK sleeping habits (quality and quantity), self-improvement (reading, podcasts, journaling, meditation), screen time, overwhelm, stress levels, time with family or friends, time spent outdoors, new experiences, etc.
STEP 3: FINDING THE “WANTS” THAT MATTER THE MOST to your desired feelings
Now review the list of “wants” you created in Step 2, and for each one ask yourself these questions:
Will accomplishing this, make me feel one of my “core desired feelings” (the words from Step 1)? Cross out the ones that might not (Example: you might WANT to sign up for a Spartan race, but if you want to FEEL balanced, stable, and in control, and you don’t have any plans to undertake Spartan training this month, this may not align)
Can any of these wants be combined into one goal? (For example: “I want to use 30lb dumbbells for chest press” and “I want to see definition in my arms”. Combine those two together to say “Every Tuesday (or Full Body Day) I will pick up 30lbs DB’s for any chest press series.”
Does the idea of accomplishing this get me super excited? Or is it just something you think you “should” do or want?
Is it realistic that I could accomplish this in 6 weeks? Not sure? Book a goal consult with a Coach and we will be happy to discuss or revise to make sure your plan is achievable!
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STEP 4: Turn your “I WANT” into “I WILL”
For each of the 3 areas of your life, choose your biggest “I want”, and turn it into an “I will” action plan for the next 6 weeks.
For example:
I want to work out 3x/week → I will go to bed by 10pm each Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday to wake up for 6:15am classes, AND I will pre-book for those early morning classes to keep me accountable!”
I want to sleep better → I will turn off my phone, TV, and computer by 8:30pm every night and read a book or journal until bed time.
I want to increase my lower body strength → Every Lower Crush day I will start with as many reps as I can at 30lb dumbbells, then drop to 25lbs.
Tip: Make sure each goal is SMART:
SPECIFIC: “I will go to bed by 10pm”, “I will go to Mon/Wed/Fri 6:15am classes.”
MEASURABLE: Sign up for those classes! Then check, did you make each one that week?
ACTIONABLE: HOW can this goal be accomplished? “I will commit to a 10pm bedtime by turning off electronics by 8:30pm and drinking an herbal tea.”
RELEVANT: Is your goal worthwhile? Do you truly want to accomplish it or does it feel like something you should want to do? Is it possible and realistic to commit to this goal?
TIMELY: Can you accomplish a new goal every day, week, by the end of the WolfPact or is it a long term goal? Set some timelines! “I will go to 15, 6:15 am classes by November 30th.”
STEP 5: Write down any limiting factors:
What might get in the way of achieving your goal?
- Time conflicts (upcoming work travel? Tricky school drop-off schedule? How can you make it work?)
- Support system (or lack thereof - spouse who travels a lot? Partner who keeps ALL the munchies around?)
- Lifestyle (Crazy/unpredictable work hours that leave you starving with no healthy options in sight?)
- Budget (Are the healthy options always the most expensive ones?)
- Mindset (Feeling like you aren’t ready, aren’t able, have failed every other time?)
STEP 6: Make an Action Plan!
From your limiting factors determine what is a non-negotiable and what can be changed:
- Can you decrease spending on Pumpkin Spice Lattes to buy a new meditation app?
- Can you ask your friends/family/Wolf Pact family to help keep you accountable (or to join in with you!)
- Can you say no to extra hours at work to get in extra hours of yoga, Crush Classes or time outside with your dog?
- Are you a list maker? Will writing down what you eat in a day, or what you are going to do, help you stick to it?
STEP 7: SHARE!
The reason 80% of goals/resolutions fail is because of a lack of accountability. Now that you have set your goals, and you have your success plan, SHARE them! On social media, with your spouse, in the Wolf Pact community Facebook group. It may seem scary, but that’s the point - it SHOULD challenge and scare you a little. And you never know who you might inspire to set their own goals, or to become your accountability buddy. Need one more reason? Your chance of success is immediately doubled as soon as you tell someone else about your goals.
STEP 8: CHECK IN
Each week, reflect on your goals:
- What went well this week?
- What didn’t and what challenges did you face? How did you handle them? Would you do anything differently?
- What do you need to do, or support do you need; to set yourself up for success next week or tomorrow?
The more you know, the more evidence you collect as to what works and what doesn’t, the better able you are to equip yourself to continue striving towards your goal.
Need some advice in setting your goals? We’ve got you! Contact us to set up a complimentary goal consultation with one of our Coaches.