What's your BHAG?

What? What are you talking about? What is a BHAG? BHAG = Big, Hairy, Audacious, Goal! It’s the time of year that many of us start thinking about our next year's goals - so what’s your BHAG?

Let me define a little more what a BHAG is. It’s a “clear and compelling” goal that “serves as a unifying focal point of effort.” It’s a goal that has a clear finish line so you know when you have achieved it. It’s a goal that you have a 50 - 70 percent chance of achieving. It’s not something so outlandish that it’s highly unlikely that you will ever achieve it, but it’s definitely something you’ll have to stretch yourself to make happen.

It doesn’t matter what aspect of your life you have a BHAG for. It can be professional, physical, spiritual, health-related, etc. Most of my BHAGs are physical as that goal keeps me motivated to move, eat, and take care of myself with purpose. It’s also very social for me as I wrangle my friends to join me in the fun! Research studies show that specific, difficult goals lead to higher performance than no goals as well as vague, abstract goals such as “do your best”.

For most, a clear compelling goal that feels out of reach is exciting. It floods your body with feelings of possibility and gets your creativity flowing with ideas of how you can achieve the goal. These types of big goals generally make you more present, more focused, and more joyful as you work toward that goal on a daily basis.

Lastly, if your BHAG isn’t scary – you may want to think bigger! I know you are capable of much more than you think you are! When you set a big goal, you jolt yourself out of your self-imposed limitations. It helps you get out of your “I can’t” mentality.

Dream big! Create your BHAG then break it down into quarterly è monthly è daily goals. My BHAG for 2023 is (was by the time you read this), Ironman Arizona. I’m not quite sure what my goal for 2024 will be yet. Do you have any suggestions? Do you want to create a BHAG but are afraid or maybe you don’t know how to break it down? Wherever you are, whatever you want to do, give me a call so I can help you!

Lida Johnson, Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Certified Nutritionist, and Personal Trainer. www.HeadToToeCoaching.com or [email protected] 203.260.2880.

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