Goal setting. It’s not easy, and we’ve all been there - the desire to make a change sometimes isn’t enough to kickstart a new lifestyle. It’s much easier for us to say we’re going to set a goal and not make a wholehearted effort to complete it, even when the goal is far from impossible – why?

Think about a time you’ve tried to commit yourself to something new but failed - maybe a 4.0 semester, a healthier diet or a new budgeting plan.

We say things like, “I really need to start running,” yet we never really do because life gets in the way of things and our commitment maybe wasn’t really that strong to begin with. We waste our time and end up getting distracted as time passes. Just me? No?

This is a toxic place to be, and one of the worst feelings on any journey is to look back and see that we didn’t achieve the goal we so desperately wanted to achieve.

Making these kinds of statements is damaging to our overall self-esteem, and it leads us to think that we can’t successfully achieve any of our goals from there on out.

We feel like a failure, even when we’re not - we actually just haven’t learned to successfully commit to something. So what can we do differently next time we are setting goals for ourselves?

'99-PERCENTING'

'99-percenting' is when we put so much time + effort into a goal, but we aren’t able to accomplish the task. It’s exhausting.

We have good intentions and mean well in these efforts, but in the end, it just makes our journey more stressful and we don’t see the results we think we deserve. It’s a commitment in our mind, but it’s not being put into action.

When we commit in our mind but not our actions, we are set up to feel defeated. When we put only 99 percent of our effort into something, we are falling flat in what we really want to see from ourselves. It doesn't feel good.

WHAT NEEDS 100% OF YOUR ATTENTION?

If your goal is to eat 80 percent healthy and 20 percent treat yo self, give that diet 100 percent of your attention - not 99. Jack Canfield, the best selling author of The Success Principles, makes this statement: “99 percent is a bitch. 100 percent is a breeze.” Make a plan for how to actually accomplish this goal so that you are able to ace it.

Not everything needs 100% effort, it’s true - but you know what you want to give the most to. Evaluate your priorities and choose one thing you can give your all to.

PUT IN THE EFFORT – ALL 100 PERCENT OF IT

If your goal is to cut out refined sugar, say no every time. That’s 100 percent, and it’s much easier on our self-esteem. Think of the role models in your life - your friend who is a vegan, your roommate who gets straight A’s, your neighbor who practices yoga every single day.

The commonality is that they don’t make exceptions or excuses. Was it really hard at first? Definitely. But now, their daily routines are made and they’ve likely found their groove. They all gave up 99-percenting and started going 100 percent.

99 percent weighs on us so heavily. It eats at us when we’re out with friends, on a run, or doing anything but reaching our goal. The decision-making process of ‘99 percent’ goal often ends in us beating ourselves up for wanting to go out rather than wanting to study when our goal is to get a 4.0.

When you shift your perspective to 100 percent, it’s easy. There are no decisions to make – you’re doing everything you can to reach the goal you’ve set.

KEYWORD – COMMITMENT

All of that comes down to this - committing to your goal. Whether it’s to run a marathon or to work hard for your future career, decide what deserves 100 percent of your attention and make the commitment. It doesn’t have to be all stress all the time - decide exactly what works for you, as long as you truly commit.

It’s exhausting to constantly be battling with ourselves, wondering what we should do when the answer is to give 100 percent.