LADIES - Please consider the following....

[Sassy69]

Interesting thought --- here's an interesting experience I had with "attaining goals".. .my first competition. I did it! I figured I would be the "hot shit" at the clubs, finally win my perpetual fight w/ my weight and accomplish just getting up on stage and doing it. Well, I did it. I also had a major falling out w/ my trainer, my bf at the time bailed, most of my friends got sick of me talking about the competition, only 2 came out to see the show. I can't talk about the gym or dieting w/ my mom anymore w/o her getting mad at me. and I got so depressed by the end of it all I went home and had a food orgy for 6 days. I've almost literally spent the last 2 years trying to recover from that. I did accomplish what I set out to do, but I also had certain expectations from it that totally backfired on me. I learned alot about that.

Unfortunately, since then, my professional & personal life have gotten weird w/ the economy, etc. which has had an impact on my motivation in general. So now all the stuff that seemed so important around that first show seem pretty trivial now. But like I said, I learned a lot.

I agree w/ spatts -- when you achieve a goal, it really depends on what that goal is in relation to the rest of your life. Is that goal achieved somethign that is a rung on the ladder to your next goal? Something that you have to remember and say that you did ? (Just having the story is often very satisfying!) Or, is the next challenge to maintain it that goal? Sometimes that is even harder than going after the next goal.

Initially my goal was to do that first show & then maintain my results whether or not I ever competed again. Well, that blew up in my face in a completely unexpected way. Now, after a number of attempts to pursue competition again, I am actually sort of burnt on lifting in general, but my current job has sucked up my time in ways that I've never experienced before and I both don't have time to go to the gym and dont' want to go. This tells me its time to set some new goals to get back on track. Lifting keeps me grounded, and now even that is gone.

Goals should be something that either mark a point on your journey towards something bigger - either more /bigger of the same, or another facet of the same thing, or something that once you achieve, you strive to maintain. Goals are what keep you moving forward and avoiding complacency. It kills me when I don't accomplish at least one new thing each day. This is how I know I'm still vital & alive. The day I become complacent and do nothing to fix it is the day I invite you all to kick me square in the rear and tell me to quit my bitchin and start liftin.

(ok enough of "Philosassy" for today )

 

[The Shadow]

Yes, there are no doubt presumably inferior forms that don't "see it."

not what I meant...but its funny anyway. I think the comment about inspiring or irritation over the thought is very true.

Sassy - um...wanna philososaay moi?

 

[2Shy]

Well if Sassy can Philosassy, then I can spout some philososhy.

Too often people believe that their lives will somehow change for the better once they obtain a long-term goal. I call it the "if only syndrome." If only I lost weight. If only I made more money. If only I got married/got divorced/changed my job/went back to school, etc.

I'm not saying that there won't be good ramifications from any of the above (I sure hope there are!) but your life won't change. An unhappy person won't suddenly become happy and expecting an achieved goal (Corn, I prefer achieved to lost! ) to provide your happiness isn't the way to go.

The above is probably way off topic. I'm pretty sure that I don't expect my life to change when I can finally do an unassisted pull-up. Of course, Hugh Jackman and Mel Gibson are going to have a grudge match over me once I get into shape ....

 

[Bikini Mod]

Thank You philosophisin' females.... what you guys are saying is SO TRUE. I got it.... really. I "got it" a ways back.

But how do you get someone that you care about to "get it"...?

 

[wilson6]

A goal achieved is equivalent to the spring loaded camming device you place in the crack of a rock while climbing, or to achieve your next goal. It is there so if you slip trying to reach your next goal, the last goal keeps you from falling too far back.

A previous goal is never lost, it will always be there to support your quest to an even higher goal. However, the inability to reflect upon previous goals can limit one's potential just as much as becoming complacent with previous goals.

W6

 

[SteelWeaver]

Yah - a goal achieved is not lost - it becomes an integral core of a strong foundation, building ever higher/broader. You can't get to the other side of the stream without using the first, or at least the second stepping stone (well, unless you're a long-jumper, lol). A tree can't burst through the forest canopy without the boughs, the trunk, the roots below. You can't put a roof on a house without walls - and it's pretty certain you're gonna need some cement in there at some stage, too.

I love analogies

I love trees

 

[The Shadow]

...but like going up stairs, once you reach the first "goal" - ie - the first step...it IS a stepping stone - but once you reach the second step it is totally unnecessary...and therefore of no use...unless you backslide.

That is why you ALWAYS need steps in front of you

 

[Sassy69]

God you guys just got waaaaaay too deep for me.

One thing I've found is that "goals" are what you make them also. I had "goals" to finish college, (3 x), buy a house (did it), get a new car (did it), get a job I like (still trying) and find a guy I like to spend the rest of my life with (do those actually exist???)

I've achieved every goal I've ever set for myself to accomplish and with generally flying colors. I find, though, that those things that I thought would be the results of those goals have not appeared. At the moment I can honestly say that I have no heartfelt goals that I am truly expecting to achieve or pursue. Frankly I'm kinda lost because I acheived my goals but I didn't really achieve my purpose. So what to do? Define a new set of goals. Or perhaps I set my goals as the stepping stones to some unknown goal, achieving the stepping stones, but not the final destination because I didn't know where I was heading. Now I kinda think I know where I"m heading but I'm not sure what I need to do to get there.

Shit. Now I've confused myself.

Dam u cornholio.

Come get philsassical with me baby

 

[The Shadow]

Why does a new goal change the position, so to speak, of the previous goal? In the time you spend debating it, you can reach your current goal.

To me, it's not about changing the postition of an earlier goal, its more that the earlier goals are no longer relevant...like benching 200 pounds...I'm sure that is a goal of a lot of trainers...once that goal is reached, by definition, it is no longer a goal - ie

"the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (WHEN ACHIEVED) terminates behavior intended to achieve it"


...THEN you crank up new behavior to achieve a new goal.

 

[The Shadow]

...but still.....I would like to know you thoughts on why for example a goal of benching 200 is still relevant when you can do 300....shouldn't the next goal be over 300?

Why would you still focus(ie - give relevance to) on the 200 goal?