If you ask most people, they’ll say they want to be healthy.
That’s the standard and expected response—but what does it really mean?
If you wanted to be healthier, what exactly would that mean to you?
If better health were your goal, how would you know when you achieved it?
“Better health” can mean so many different things:
- Losing weight
- Having more energy
- Running around with your kids or grandkids without getting winded
- Being more focused and productive at work
- Decreasing or discontinuing medications
- (The list goes on…)
The truth is, you have to be crystal clear about what you want.
The Power of Specific Goals
Setting goals is powerful, but only when those goals are specific, concrete, and, once again, crystal clear. This applies to every area of life: education, career, finances, relationships, parenting, and, of course, health.
You need to hold a vivid image in your mind of how your life will look and feel once you’ve achieved your goal. Let yourself experience that excitement now — that emotional connection will help carry you through the hard work ahead.
“I Want to be Healthier” Isn’t Enough.
You can’t just set a goal to be healthier. That is too vague to be motivating and might even backfire.
For instance, since jogging is a healthy activity, you might say, “My goal is to start jogging.” Fantastic! (In case you missed it, that was sarcasm.)
Talk about obscure. Starting to run could mean jogging five yards twice a week. Goal accomplished! (Okay, I’m a bit sassy today.) 🤪
Make it Crystal Clear
Seriously, would you like to set some solid health goals? If you said yes—perfect!
But first, one of the other most important things to understand about goals is that they should be challenging enough to stretch you, but not so difficult that they are overwhelming.
Let’s get back to our running example.
If you’re new to jogging, a crystal clear and achievable goal might look like this:
- Jog for 10 minutes, three times a week for two weeks.
- Then increase to 15 minutes, three times a week for two weeks.
- Then 20 minutes, three times a week for two weeks.
- Then 25 minutes, and finally 30 minutes three times a week for two weeks.
Check out that progression—in 2½ months, you’ve gone from a novice runner to jogging 30 minutes a few times each week. Now, that truly is fantastic! (Sincere praise there.)
Keep the Momentum Going
And once you’ve hit that milestone, you don’t have to stop. You can set new goals—run more frequently or for longer durations. The same concept can also be applied to other health-related goals, such as eating and stress management.
For more important info on effective goal setting, check out this post: SMART Goals
Final Thought
Specific, crystal-clear goals are what turn “I want to be healthy” into “I am healthy.”
Clarity fuels motivation — and motivation fuels results.
What are your health goals?
If you’re interested in bringing this type of message to a wider audience, I speak regularly on topics related to health and wellness. You can learn more about my talks at https://stevepiriano.life/speaking/
I also explore similar topics more deeply in my books, which you can find at https://stevepiriano.life/books/ if you’d like to dive in.