At this time of year, many of you may be wondering how to stay motivated to keep up your training. It is currently pouring with rain where I am, so I certainly empathise! One of the most effective ways to stay on track is to set small achievable goals.
Now don’t get me wrong, it’s important to have your bigger picture vision there driving you along, but when its miserable outside, a small goal is key to keeping you moving forward. The Olympians currently in preparation for Rio didn’t get there by just being consumed by that one Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG), they set lots of little goals that all added up to making it big time. That little goal may have been as simple as “do something today!”
Those of us with kids, know all too well, how fast time can go by. The countdown days of pregnancy, morph into weeks of development, then into months of age, then terms of kinder and years of school. It honestly doesn’t feel that long ago my eldest started kinder and now, she’s finishing primary school. It has certainly flown by.
You may think this is irrelevant, however it reminds us that time is moving fast, whether we do or not! Taking the attitude to live in the moment, and make small positive choices each day, add up to great things.
How we fill our minutes, complete our days, and share our years, gives purpose & meaning to our lives.
So how do we make the most of each day? Just set a goal. Any goal at all will do, and break it down into daily actions. If you’ve been feeling more like a sloth than a giselle of late, start small. Put 3 appointments into your calendar this week to do something active. If you’re generally active but lacking in motivation, be a bit more brave, and commit to an event in the next 60 days. Something that will challenge you to do more than you are doing now. If you need some inspiration check out our article on trail running.
An effective goal doesn’t need to be “life changing”, but it helps if it is habit forming and inspiring. Start small and get it done, then use that success to set a new goal that stretches you again. Once you get in the swing of using goals to keep you motivated you will be astounded at what you can achieve.
Get to it!