If you’re like most people you started the new year with some ambition to reach a new goal. You promised yourself that this year was going to be different from last year…and the year before that…and the year before that.
Unfortunately most New Years goals or resolutions are short-lived and by the second or third month of the year a distant memory.
What makes this worse is that everywhere you and I turn we hear about the importance of setting goals and how to achieve them….from people who seem to have no problem reaching them. And we loathe them for it.
It’s no secret that goal-setting has become it’s own industry. Thousands of books have been written not to mention calendars, journals and other related products. All with the intent of helping you and I achieve more and FINALLY hitting that elusive target.
With so many resources, information and encouragement to set goals, why do we struggle to reach them?
On Fathers Day in 2018 we were enjoying family time around the pool. It’s nice to be celebrated by your kids with a card or gift and this day was no exception. What was different was that in the card I received from Megan was a note explaining that her and I were registered for a half-marathon scheduled for later that year…October 14 to be precise…6 days before her wedding!
I joked that if we did this I might not be able to walk her down the isle…I’d be limping down…if I was lucky.
It’s not that I was against the idea. Growing up I was a pretty good long distance runner and Kathy and I even ran a 30km race together..but that was 10 years ago and I hadn’t done much running since.
So that was my Fathers Day gift. The opportunity to run 21km with my daughter.
So now what?
Once the reality set in that we were doing this, we began to put a plan together. We did some research and we finally found a plan we could implement given our current schedules. Then we went shopping for shoes. You have to have the right shoes and clothing especially as this race was at a time of year we could be in rain, snow, warm or cold…or all of the above.
We also decided what time we wanted to achieve for the race. We weren’t going to set any records (we have a friend who is an Olympic marathoner who runs a full marathon in the time we would run the half) No, just a goal that we wanted to set for ourselves…2 1/2 hours…that was it. Now if you’re a runner you’ll know that isn’t a great time…it’s not even a good time for the average runner. But it’s what we set out to do.
The training day finally arrived. We mapped out a route in our neighbourhood and were ready to go. You want to know something, I could hardly make it around the first block without walking. It was brutal. I was in worse shape than I thought.
This was going to be a challenge.
To make this long story a little shorter, October 14 came and we ran the race and as we made the last turn toward the finish line we saw the clock and new our goal was in reach.
02:29:57
That was our time.
I told you we didn’t set any records. But we achieved our goal.
How did we do it?
- We set a goal…to run a half-marathon, on October 14, 2018 under 2.5 hours.
- We determined our why..for me it wasn’t about the race, it was about accomplishing something with my daughter that we could celebrate and remember.
- We prepared…our diet, our training schedule even our clothing
- We shared our goal with others via social media along with updates on our progress.
But none of those things would have been enough.
What made the difference? We did it TOGETHER!
The best way to accomplish a goal you really want, is to do it with someone else.
The training was hard…there were days we didn’t want to do it. There were days we couldn’t run together because of conflicting schedules, but we knew the other would be checking in. There were days we were sore and wanted to quit…but we were accountable to each other. I pulled a hamstring 3 weeks before the race and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make the race at all. But we did it…together.
We encouraged each other, we motivated each other and even got in each others face once in a while too. We pushed each other in a way that never would have happened had we gone it alone.
If you want to achieve a significant goal in your life
- Choose your goal…make sure it’s specific and measurable
- Determine why this goal is important to you
- Put a clear plan together
- Share your goal with others
But if you want the best chance to actually achieve your goal? Do it with someone else. The accountability, the encouragement, the support and the companionship will make all the difference.
So what do you want to accomplish this year?
Why do you want to achieve it?
How are you going to get there?
And who are you going to get there with?
Running a half-marathon with Megan took initiative, planning, preparation and perseverance…and most of all companionship to make it happen. We created great memories while struggling to do something we’d never done before.
And we walked down the isle together just fine.
Feeling stuck? Not sure what to do next? Your life not where you want it to be? Life coaching can help. Contact me for a free 45-minute discovery call. Let’s talk.
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