As anyone who has completed a physical goal would say, there are two things that usually happens when you are done. First, you eat a lot. Not so much a lot, but more than you were when you were preparing. You do this because of psychological reasons: you know you can because you don’t have an immediate goal, you like knowing you don’t have to deprive yourself and most of all, because you deserve it! After all, you just worked your body and brain for the past few months to complete a goal – and now it’s done!

I used to feel that way often when I would compete in competitions. As soon as the contest was over, I would celebrate with food and festivities. I would continue to splurge for days after, until, I started feeling guilty, unmotivated and tired (from all the calories). In that time period I would gain 5-7 pounds also! Seriously! Of course, the majority of that weight was just water retention from all the salt and carbohydrates my body wasn’t used to inhaling.

The second thing people do when they hit a physical goal is get depressed. Funny, right? You would think that hitting a goal makes people happy, but most often, it makes them out-of-routine and ‘depressed’ after. This goes back to the saying that ‘happiness is found in the journey and not the destination’. Some people think they will be happier once they look a certain way, or make a certain amount of money. The truth is, is that people are happiest when they are ‘in flow’ with their goals and challenging themselves daily to achieve that goal. While focusing on training and dieting is sometimes difficult, watching the pounds drop, your clothes get loose and the compliments come in are all satisfying moments in your journey to your goal. When you meet your goal, it’s as if all of that suddenly stops. Your daily routine changes – and most of all – your brain changes. You aren’t thinking of ‘that goal’ constantly, you are stuck in limbo, making most people depressed.

Right before the photoshoot I would tell myself that I would reward myself with something sweet and delicious after it was over, but as time moved closer, I could care less about the food! I just wanted it to be over. I was a machine weeks leading up to it. Even though I was tired and sleep-deprived, nothing was going to get in the way of me eating my meals and finishing my training.

I miss that feeling.

Because right now. I don’t have it.

If anyone has followed my writings for the past seven years, you would see a person who is self-determined. I’ve gotten really intimate with myself in these years of writing online. One of the things I know well – is that I am happiest when I am working. I am most efficient when I have ten things to do versus three. I am most satisfied when I have a goal in mind. And I always do. Whether that be to lose my baby weight. To keep my baby and me healthy when I’m pregnant…to look good for a wedding, a photo shoot or my husband when we go on a trip. I always have a goal – that is something you will always know about me.

And something you should also do for you.

Goal setting is the first step to manifesting your dreams. It is often said, that dreams are still dreams until you write it down…and then it becomes a goal!  After I write down my goals I create plans. Once I become emotionally attached to my goals and create plans I know will work, then it’s all up to me to make it happen. I often write the words, Discipline…Persistence…Focus… somewhere to remind me that I need those qualities in order to follow through day after day, week after week, until I hit my goal.

For example, I just created my four month fitness calendar on my wall. I was running this morning and was looking at my blank calendar and thinking about losing 8 pounds. I know, I know – please don’t start and say that I’m being critical. I’m not. I just have a clear idea of how I want my body to look. I want to have incredibly lean arms, a very strong 4-pack with obliques showing, I want a round behind and lean legs that will make me less self conscious when I wear shorts or dresses. I am very emotionally attached to what I want. Besides achieving this body, I know that it will assist me in the additional goals I have in my life professionally, this is now going into my career goals, which is a whole other blog!

Anyways – I was looking at my blank calendar and thought “okay Maria, if you lose one pound a week. Which is reasonable, you can get to your goal by the endof October.” And then I remember how I often lose as little as ½ pound a week! So then I thought, “okay, if I lose 2 pounds a month, I can get to my goal by NYE 2013!” Whatever it is, I know what my goals are, I know how to get there – and while there may be bumps in the road, plateaus, etc. I know I will eventually get there, whether it will take 2 months or 4 months, it really is all up to me.

I often tell people that you will get to your goal, it’s not a matter of if, but when.

SO right now I have new goals. I gave myself a week to relax and I’m back on the road! My goals this week is to:

1. Have two cheat meals. One today (wed) and the second on Sun, my grandmother’s birthday.
2. Remember to say prayers every morning and evening.
3. Tell myself every morning to “Seize the Day!”
4. Try to wake up earlier than my kids! (this one has been very hard with an infant and sick kids)
5. Train 5 days