Day 1 of 12: On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree. You surely know the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Thankfully, my true love did not give me a partridge or a pear tree. She gave me a new Fitbit that tracks my heart rate and keeps track of my exercise and sleep. I hope that means that she wants to keep me around and wants me to stay healthy.
Nearly two years ago, I attended a 2017 goal-setting course and made an important discovery–that my chief motivation for getting and staying healthy was that I would then have a better shot at seeing our son, David, graduate from college. (He was in the 8th grade at the time.)
“Duh!” you say. “Doesn’t everybody have the goal of seeing their children, or even grandchildren, graduate and grow into adults?” Well yes, but there is a big distinction to be made between aspirations and goals. Seeing David graduate is a wonderful aspiration and serves as a useful motivation, but is not a well-defined goal. As financial planners we are compelled by our professional standards to ferret out client goals, but too often clients settle for expressing only aspirations. Even “getting healthy and staying healthy” is too vague to be a well-defined goal. I re-crafted my goal: “Exercise for 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week, starting on January 10, 2017.” This is a habit goal.
Habit goals, such as “save 10% of income” unlike achievement goals, have a beginning date rather than a target for getting them done. Determining the best way to move toward the goal led me to one of my best investments yet: a treadmill to put in my basement. My goal of 30 minutes, 5 times a week was “installed” on March 30, 2017.
Fast forward to the fall of 2017 and my annual physical. My internist told me that I might be the healthiest he has seen me in 30+ years. I have kept up the exercise and this year added a new habit goal to my treadmill routine: Exercise 3 times a week with weights for strength and yoga for balance. That one took a bit longer to “install” but I’m happy to report that I have the habit.
With the new Fitbit, my goals are even more measurable than they were before. I am so grateful that Jennifer is encouraging habits that are good for me. Next up, “Schedule and have a date night with her each week, starting December 28, 2018, and continuing until “installed.”
If you need help simply setting goals, click here for a step-by-step guide.
