How often have you set some goals for yourself and then not achieved them? I can’t even keep track of the times I have done this. It’s so exciting to think about all the things you want to do and how cool it would be to achieve them. However, we don’t actually work for these goals…we wish for them. And incase you haven’t noticed…wishing does not equate to accomplishing. So how can we start actually moving the needle in the right direction and keeping promises we make to ourselves, and seriously start checking off goals?
I’ve had so many goals I’ve wished for, deadlift 275lbs, bench 155lbs, do 7 pull-ups… the list goes on… and guess what? I’ve never accomplished ANY of those goals (ugh, it stings just to type that out). Here are some other goals I’ve had, bench my body-weight (135lbs), run a mile in less than 8 minutes, run the Rugged Red. And guess what? I HAVE accomplished all of these things. These goals are all very similar, they are some lofty performance goals. However, there is a stark difference in my approach to them. The one’s I didn’t achieve…I just talked about them. Maybe wrote them down. I often thought about them, wished and hoped the day would come that I could finally do those things. The ones I did accomplish, those are the ones that I had a plan of attack, I signed up for an event, and I surrounded myself with others that would help me get to my goal.
- First stop on achieving a goal: reverse engineer a plan. We will use the Rugged Red for example. A half marathon through the Red River Gorge is pretty intimidating. However, when you sit down, plan out all of your runs, and make very small increases in mileage each week, it is do-able. We plan every week of training before we sign up for the race. Having a plan is how I prove to myself that I can do it before I even run my first mile.
- The next thing that I encourage you to do: stop talking about it and DO IT. Sign up for the race! Setting a date is important because it creates urgency. Making a commitment like this usually makes the goal feel real.
- Lastly, surround yourself with people who will walk alongside you in your journey to reach the goal. We run as a group during training for the Rugged Red. This helps for multiple reasons, mostly because running at 7am on Saturday morning always sucks less when I have my friends there to suffer with me. It’s also an added benefit that these people share the same goal with you and can hold you accountable and tell you to “work harder” when you want to lay down and take a nap at mile 8. If you don’t have friends like this, get some. If you’re having trouble finding some, come to 413; we will supply them.
“Progress, not perfection. It doesn’t matter if you’re running towards your goal, or on your knees crawling…just stay pointed in that direction and you’ll get there.”
Mat Fraser (4x Fittest Man on Earth)
So, do you have a goal in mind? Maybe a New Year’s resolution? Make a plan, step by step; a road map so to say with the destination being accomplishing that goal. Put some skin in the game by using a personal trainer, or signing up for the race. DO something! Then, get some friends or find a group of people that will help you stick to it.
Stop wishing and starting working.
We don’t say “Pray Big. Wish Hard.”
It’s more like, “Pray Big. WORK Hard.”