Systems Instead of Goals

“I’m setting systems for myself instead of goals” - Lil Nas

I bet you never thought I’d start a post with a quote from Lil Nas did yah?

I saw this quote right as I was I finishing reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, a book about creating and breaking habits, and it just all blended so well together, I wanted to write something about it, so here we are.

Let’s start with some basic definitions…

Goal - the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.

Systems - a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized framework or method.

Here's my belief (as a Certified Health Coach and Fitness Trainer):

People focus too much on the goal, and not enough on the journey (systems).

They focus more on where they want to be, instead of how they’re going to get there.

Devastatingly, they focus so much on the goal, that two things happen:

1. They disregard small wins.

2. They sacrifice the present moment for their future dream.

Both of those are the big reasons why most people don’t hit their goals.

Let’s look at some examples:

Here are a few amazing small wins that I commonly see my clients COMPLETELY look past:

1. Working out consistently for the first time in their entire life

2. Able to jog for 15 min straight after never having run before

3. Living pain-free after years of chronic pain

4. Cooking from home more

5. Going from over-eating 3x/week to 1x/week

Those are actually huge accomplishments that if not celebrated or recognized, get forgotten.

Why is it important to celebrate small wins?

Because celebrating keeps the momentum going.

Think about it, you like being recognized at work, don’t you? If you’re not appreciated enough, you start to lose steam and the desire to do well gets lost. The inner self is no different. You’ve got to be your own biggest fan. If you don’t appreciate how far you’ve come, you’ll focus too much on how far you’ve got left to go, and you’ll get discouraged and stop.

Here are a few ways my clients used to sacrifice their present moment for their future dream:

1. Not attending a birthday because they were afraid they’d eat too much

2. Canceling a vacation because they didn’t like how they looked in a bikini

3. Not eating their now deceased grandma’s favorite cake because they didn’t want the calories

4. Injuring themselves overtraining because they wanted to lose weight

No goal should mean you have to sacrifice your happiness (and health) right now to get to it.

Believe it or not, you can choose to be happy, right now, WHILE working on your goal. Because the hard-to-swallow truth is that most goals will only make you happy for a moment, and then you’ll move on to the next. There’s always a nicer car to buy. Another promotion to get. And there’s always the last “5-10 lbs” that no one ever seems to get to.

All that to say, you don’t have to throw away your goal, just don’t throw away your life trying to get to it. Focus on the systems that you can start implementing in your life that’ll guide you in that direction, that’ll better your life now, not “if and when” you hit your goal. Focusing on what you’re doing in the present, and how it adds to your life, is the best way to get to where you want to be.

…and because you’ve made it this far, I’m going to give you a little outline of how I set up systems with my clients (from Precision Nutrition) that you can use:

If you’re looking for a safe space where you'll receive support and guidance in achieving your health goals, you're right where you need to be :) Submit a client application to receive your free 15 min consultation with me. I work with clients all over the world helping those who are frustrated and confused become empowered and confident - changing their relationship with food, fitness and most importantly, themselves.

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Hi, I’m Azul Corajoria, an Integrative Health Coach, Personal Trainer & Yoga Instructor. I support my clients in making step-by-step changes so that they can live a healthy and balanced life. By recognizing the interdependent roles of mindset, nutrition, and movement I educate and hold my clients accountable for achieving their health goals through lifestyle and behavior adjustments with an emphasis on self-care. Together, we navigate the contradictory world of nutrition through intuitive eating, practice mindful movement, and implement small mindset and lifestyle shifts that empower them to be their best selves in the easiest way possible.