Wednesday, December 31, 2014
REFLECTIONS ON REACHING MY YEAR LONG WORKOUT GOAL – WHAT I HAVE LEARNED! I am writing this to share some lessons I have learned in this year long journey to greater health. I have posted my progress on social media as a way of trying to help and inspire others to reach their own personal goals. Sometimes I have feared that my continual posts would be perceived as “bragging” or even narcissistic – but my real motivation has always been to use my life and my journey to say – “IF I CAN DO THIS – ANYONE CAN!” It is my prayer that in some small way my life and my commitment will help you to achieve your goals in 2015. 1. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT SETTING A GOAL IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! There is something about setting a specific goal that helps focus your efforts and keep you on track. Having this long-term goal gave me something real and tangible to work toward. 2. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT HAVING A GOAL IS IMPORTANT BUT THE REASON BEHIND THE GOAL IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT. My goal to hit the gym everyday in 2014 was a great goal, but that wasn’t what kept me motivated over the long haul. The motivation behind the goal – to become stronger and healthier – is what I kept focusing on. The goal itself was simply a means to a much greater end – that I would have a better quality of life. Someone has once said that in order to achieve great things, we have to have a big “YES” burning inside – a “YES” that causes us to work harder and accomplish things we never thought possible. 3. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT REACHING THIS GOAL WAS MUCH HARDER THAN I FIRST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. When you first set a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) like working out everyday for an entire year - there is an initial rush of enthusiasm and excitement but believe me - it quickly wears off. Emotion can only fuel a goal for very short time – that is when commitment has to kick in. When reaching the goal gets tough and you don’t “FEEL” like doing it anymore – that is when you have to grit your teeth and make yourself do what you don’t want to do (but you know you need to do!!) Looking back, there were many days I wanted to give up and simply quit – but I found the strength to keep going when it got really hard. 4. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT ACHIEVNG A LONG-TERM GOAL CAN ONLY BE ACCOMPLISHED IN BITE SIZED CHUNKS! There are times when a year long goal was incredibly intimidating. With 365 days looming ahead of me – the task was daunting to say the least. I was able to achieve this goal by taking it one day, one week and one month at a time. I have learned that the bigger the goal is – the smaller it has to become in order to achieve it. I couldn’t do it when it was a year long – but I could do it when it was one day – one week and one month. And then something miraculous happened – TODAY - all those days, weeks and months added up to one year. And I achieved a huge goal in small bite-sized chunks. 5. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING CAN BECOME AN EXCUSE – IF YOU LET IT! Whenever you set a goal – especially a difficult or challenging one – there will be times when anything and everything can become an excuse as to why you CAN’T possibly accomplish the goal you have set. Having struggled with a spinal cord injury (and all the related issues that go with a disability) I could have used my physical limitations as a justification as to why I shouldn’t attempt the goal in the first place or as to why I couldn’t possibly complete it. Yes, with the disability, there were some days that were harder than others – but I determined that I would NEVER use my physical limitations as an excuse. In fact, it was my physical limitations that motivated me to work even harder. Yes, I live everyday in chronic pain and struggle with mobility and balance issues – but I refused to give up. The goal became my focus and not my problems.