Goals beget Goals

A goal is a really hard thing to live up to. In endurance terms, it is a race, event or test against the clock, that we can not hide from. Our illusions, our sleeping in, our improper nutrition, our alibi's are all laid out in front of our friends, our family, our team mates and our competitors. At best we succeed because those concessions did not matter we did the due diligence. At worst, we blow up or give up on the course, often wearing the most unflattering outfit we've ever owned. But it will look great when your down another twenty pounds.

But we can't stop making goals, can we?  We need them. They focus our life, they create new opportunity, open new doors. Finishing a goal increases our self-esteem, gives us a since of accomplishment, makes us feel like we have won something. And winning breeds winning. These winners say, "Bring on the challenge of the goal", using that emotion to carry them long term through a racing season, or short term just to finish an hour on the trainer.  

For those that can't complete a goal, it is the opposite. They feel defeated. They feel they put so much effort into the last goal and that didn't work out, so why keep putting myself into that position. Goal expectations become cheap Chuck E. Cheese trinkets rather than shiny finish line medals. 

It is never too late to set a goal. Even the same goal, over and over. You fail, the opportunity passes, life gets in the way. Nothing is impossible. It is just a matter of how much education, motivation, accountability and investment you want to put into it. 

Education. You cannot expect to any goal, professionally or physically, to be obtained if you don't have the proper tools required to do the job. Can't be an engineer if you didn't graduate from high school. Hard to lose weight when you don't know how to count calories or know how many calories to consume each day. 

Motivation. No matter how strongly we feel about our goal it's hard to keep that focus every single day, almost impossible without a plan. Motivation comes not in the ultimate goal but surviving a short term goal and putting those together so it matters in the end result. A decreasing scale can stop late night snacks, clothes fitting better, completing a shorter distance event, completing a school course, all these things fit into the goal or Definite Chief Aim. 

Accountability. It can not be done alone. Create or have created for you a training plan. Have a mentor. Tell your goal to all your friends, co-workers and family. Get them bought into your goal and encourage them to hold you to it. Ignore the Dreamkillers, those that speak failure to you because they were not successful with that goal or they have personal fears that they cannot overcome. Some people are afraid of success and will try to undermine your goal so they feel better about them self. 

Investment. We need commit all our willpower to a goal but the fact is that personal sacrifice is sometimes not enough. School costs money. Personal trainers cost money. Recovery supplements and healthy food cost money. That investment however will usually pay back ten fold in results. Many goals fail because people expect something for nothing. Expect to buy a $1 lottery ticket for $100 million dollars. Expect short cuts to reap the same results as hard work. I can tell you that buying healthy food costs a lot more than buy junk food. I can tell you that buying the services of a certified professional in the area of your goal will not only help you achieve but dominate your goal when put to the test. 

A goal is a tough thing to live with. Instead of sleepwalking through life, you are challenging yourself to be better. To do better. The cool thing about a goal is that it is contagious. Its viral. Tell someone your doing something and often enough that person will want to do it too. From personal goals we inspire others. Can it get any better than that. 

It's not enough to exist. I'm going to live.