When it comes to fitness goals, I know that some people shudder at the thought of just setting them

Having a goal just means having another thing you have to do. Or worse...another thing you might fail at.

If that is how you feel, I have good news--there is another way to approach your goals that will not only help you feel better about setting them, it will make it much easier to reach them!

The reason the traditional approach of goal setting is so commonly recommended is that it works! But only for people who are good at setting and reaching goals.

Some people are wired to have a specific target and work tirelessly until they reach it.

Other people are not. And yet this other group is usually forgotten when it comes to goal setting.

They are meant to feel as if they just need to be better, work harder, suck it up, and do more.

The truth is that there is another way to approach goals that is just as powerful, but better for people that struggle with specific goals.

I call this approach the “Goal Curious” approach.

When you feel like goals are just another thing to fail at, you have to reframe your approach so that your brain does not feel as if failure is possible.

To do this, you have to get “Goal Curious”. This means setting a vague goal and then testing out different things that might help you get there.

Let’s take weight loss as an example.

In the traditional method of goal setting, you would set a specific weight target, a specific timeline, and have specific tasks you need to do:

“I will lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks by eating 1500 calories a day and tracking everything I eat.”

Now if you are someone who doesn’t like setting goals, this statement probably sounds awful.

So, instead, let’s rework the approach to get goal curious.

The goal can still be to lose weight but instead of putting a number to it, just think about it as an ongoing process. Your goal is not to lose 10 pounds. Your goal to start and keep losing weight until you don’t feel like losing weight anymore.

Now that we have a goal, it’s time to get curious about what might make that happen.

If you changed up your breakfast, could that help? If you think it might, try it for a week and see what happens!

If you drink less at night, could that help? Same thing...try it out!

There is no failure, just testing out what works for YOU. And this might be the most important part...this process is all about self-discovery.

If you have struggled to lose weight (or achieve any other goal), it’s usually because what you have been told “should” work either has not worked in the past or was so unappealing that you didn’t want to start.

So instead of listening to what other people think, rely on your own self-awareness. What do YOU think will help? What do YOU think you would actually want to test out?

Start getting curious about the process of achieving your goal and the result will take care of itself...all while you are creating new habits that you will actually be able to stick with long term.

If you want to supercharge this process, start from a place of not judging yourself.

If you want to lose weight, that is fine. But you do not need to lose weight. You don’t NEED to do anything. You are good just the way you are.

Now I can already hear you thinking (or saying out loud right now!), “No I am not! I am overweight, out of shape, have low energy, and I hate the way I am at this moment.”

Okay, so you don’t like the way your body looks or feels currently. I would challenge you to separate that fact from the fact that what your body looks like or feels has nothing to do with who you are as a person.

You are more than likely someone who is loving, kind, caring, and has put others first so many times that you have not been able to do the things needed to keep your body fit.

You have been successful (likely VERY successful) in other areas of your life and fitness was just never the top priority. There is nothing wrong with this.

There is nothing to be ashamed of. We all do what we think and feel is best at the time and that is what you have done as well.

So stop equating your physical health to your value as a person. What you look like is not who you are.

When you can embrace that concept, getting curious about how to look or feel different becomes a lot easier because the outcome is not tied to your self-worth.

If you are someone who does not like setting fitness goals, then I am happy to share that there is a better way!

The traditional method works great for some, but is actually an inhibitor for others.

The cure for goal aversion-itis: getting goal curious!

This means focusing more on the process and less on the outcome. Yes, you still have a goal, but it’s about discovering what will help move you closer to your goal vs. what is required to reach your goal.

When you do this, you can test things out without ever feeling like you are failing. Things either work or they don’t, but that is just information!

As you start this process, it is also important to not judge who you are by your ability to reach your goal.

What you accomplish has nothing to do with who you are as a person and has no reflection on your value or worth. There is nothing wrong with YOU, even if you would like your body or life situation to be different.

Now with all that said, this path is not always an easy one to go down. We have built up years of mental and physical habits and sometimes need help getting started.

That is why Mint exists. To help you on your journey.