Goals in life are one of the most powerful assets one can have,
and fitness is no exception to this idea. We often embark on a road of fitness envisioning
the end result, a perfect body with the corresponding perfect lifestyle. Whilst having
a long-term goal as such is fine, one must remember that the road to fitness is
a marathon rather than a sprint. Therefore I believe it is important to have
short term goals on top of long term goals.
A short term goal is something attainable in around a month,
whilst a long term goal may only be obtainable in a couple of years or so. As
an aspiring powerlifter, my short-term goals at any point may be a 10 kg
increase to my total (in powerlifting a total refers to the one rep maxes of the squat, benchpress and deadlift added together), or an improvement on my technique for a particular lift,
however my long term goals may be to total a particular number or to be able to
compete in a particular weight class.
In the end, having realistic short term goals is more
important than having the most optimistic long term goal. Achieving a monthly
short term goal is a big confidence booster, and will motivate one to keep
going and pursue the next target weight, lift or lap time. Before you know it,
the optimistic long term goal you had before is nothing more than a goal for
the end of the month!
Most importantly, be fit, be happy.
