My last blog post cited recent research regarding New Year’s “resolutions” that was a little discouraging – eighty-eight percent (88%) failed in their “resolve” to improve health and lose weight.  Why?

For the answer, let’s take a look at the other side. If the failure rate is 88%, that means that 12% of the people DID have the resolve to succeed! Do you know what set this group apart from the others? The study concluded that seventy-eight percent (78%) of this successful group engaged in setting specific goals, small measurable goals such as losing a pound a week, instead of just saying something general like “I’m going to lose some weight”.

I would like to share a story that helped me understand the importance of spending the necessary time to prepare our “mental muscle” to have the resolve that will sustain us when the going gets tough.

Shamu Rocks!

Have you ever been to Sea World? A few years ago, we took a family vacation to Orlando and spent a day at Sea World. By far, the most popular attraction at Sea World is the killer whale show called “Shamu Rocks”. Killer whales hold the title of “top predator of the ocean”, they’re amazing to say the least.

The show was unbelievable. I just couldn’t believe what these huge (up to 10,000 pounds) animals could do! The acrobatic leaps and dives were incredible and seemed to be coordinated with the music. It didn’t appear that a single mistake was made the entire show! These amazing creatures, the most feared predators in the ocean, waved to and splashed the audience, and allowed their trainers to surf the pool by riding their back.

As we walked out of this show, I was both amazed and intrigued. A question had been forming in my mind, a need to know had been building up inside me ever since the start of the show. How are they able to train these killer whales to perform like this? Do they trick them somehow? Starve them? What methods do the trainers use?

So how do they do it?

Those questions persisted in my mind for several days. I just had to find out. So, I began to do a little research on the subject of training killer whales at Sea World. The information wasn’t very hard to find. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one to walk out of the show with those questions. There have been books written on the subject, and all the answers to the most common questions can be found on the Sea World website.

What I learned from this research was interesting and revealing. No, they don’t starve the whales. Apparently, not many trainers are willing to jump  into the pool to work with a starving killer whale! Plus, if the only reward is food, then how are you going to get the whale to do anything when it’s not hungry?

I learned that they use a reward system that includes things like positive talk, touch, tummy rubs, tongue massage, in addition to food rewards. The Sea World trainers used a very detailed step by step process, and they have great patience and a very long term perspective. Some tricks take several years of practice to accomplish.

Here are some of the steps that the trainers use in this process:

1. First, they establish very clear goals that are written and described in detail as specific actions that must be performed. Nothing vague.
2. They break-down the path to the final goal into many easily achieved mini-goals.
3. They always accentuate the positive.
4. They IGNORE MISTAKES and immediately redirect to a task that can be easily accomplished.
5. They celebrate and give a reward every time an interim task or goal is accomplished.
6. Gradually increase the standard for performance. Repeating the process, adding step after step to each performance of mini-goals.

It’s also interesting to me that the trainers treat each killer whale as an individual, each of which has unlimited capacities for development and accomplishment. I read the following quote attributed to one of the trainers, “What the trainer thinks about the whale, and expects from the whale, has a direct bearing on the whale’s response or lack of response.”

So, how do you get a killer whale to jump 25’ out of the water over a rope and dive head first back into the water? Well, first you make that your long term goal. Next, you break it down into easily accomplished steps. In this case, the first step is to start with the rope underneath the surface of the water, high enough from the bottom for the whale to swim under it. If the whale swims under the rope, the trainer ignores it. But every time the whale swims above the rope, the trainer positively reinforces it with a sound – kind of like applause to the whale – and then the whale gets a treat. Now, Shamu is no idiot, right? After a while he thinks to himself, “Hey, there seems to be an interesting link between this rope and food.” So, what do you think Shamu does? He starts swimming over the rope more! Then what do you think the trainers do? They raise the rope!

The Takeaway

Now, please don’t think that I’m calling anyone a whale. But, I do believe that we have something to learn from these training and goal setting methods and principles. In fact, don’t we already use this approach? First, we help the child roll over on its tummy. Then we help her get up on her hands and knees, before you know it – she’s crawling, then we help her stand up, then she pulls herself up on some piece of furniture, we hold her hands and help her take some steps, then pry her hands away from ours, she falls down, we ignore it and say “that’s okay, no problem, let’s try it again!”

We are giving praise and reward for each step along the way. Gradually, step by step, she learns how to walk. Now, would we allow her to fail? No way! Then she wants to ride a bike, we start the process all over again. Tricycle, two-wheeler with training wheels, take the training wheels off and run with her, find a soft landing place and let her fall, ignore and redirect, try again, reward each accomplishment.

In a flash, you’re walking her down the aisle on her wedding day!

I believe that these methods can help us train ourselves to improve and our health and wellness as well. I have applied these principles to make many improvements in my personal fitness and health plan. 

Setting Clear Goals Is Vital

I believe that setting clear goals to build wellness is vital. Perhaps the biggest reason that most people fail to change lifestyle habits is that they don’t plan and they don’t clearly define any goals. Success comes from knowing exactly where you are going, how you are going to get there step by step, and what you plan to do to celebrate achievement along the way toward your long term goal. What exactly do you want? What are the steps (mini-goals) that will get you there? How will you celebrate the achievement of your goals? When do you plan to arrive?

I strongly encourage you to work on setting specific goals and steps today. If you wait until tomorrow to begin, it might not happen. Don’t take that chance. Do something, anything. Eat an apple. Walk around the block. Write down a goal. Begin with the end in mind. Write it down. Then, set a deadline date for accomplishing your goals. When the deadline date arrives, you’ll either wish you had or be glad that you did. If you slip up, don’t beat yourself up! Forget about it! Bury it! Redirect! Try again! You have an unlimited capacity for development and accomplishment.

You CAN do it! NEVER give up!