#1. You don’t try hard enough. No, that is definitely not the case for those of you reading this! As a CrossFit community, if there is anything that we do really well, it is try REALLY hard in the gym to get the results we are looking for. It’s the whole competition thing, working out with a team or a buddy who is doing the same workout, and not letting up on the gas until they do, leaving us all in a sweaty pile on the ground after the final round.
So, if we have a goal in mind, and we keep on seeing it just out of our grasp, what is torpedoing our efforts?
Here’s the real #1: You Didn’t Write It Down. Just above, as I wrote “a goal in mind,” I meant that literally. When we think we have decided on a goal, it is still just a nebulous idea in our mind. Having a goal in mind is a terrific start, and you’re a lot further along than many people will go. But something happens when you write it down. It becomes real. It becomes a commitment. So, write down your goal, and be specific. Rather than blasting a full page of your journal with “LOSE WEIGHT!!”, how about “I am going to weigh 185 lbs by July 1st when I’m going on vacation.”
The other great thing about writing it down is that it is something that you can look at each day. I have my purpose and my current goal in a Notes file on my phone, and every morning during my Morning Practice I will take it out and read it. Then I match up my goal with my daily schedule and plan. Do they match up? What am I going to do today to make progress toward achieving that goal? Does anything on my daily plan look like it will take me further away from my goal? If so, that’s getting crossed off the list.
Secondly, you might not be solid on WHY you want to achieve that goal, so when push comes to shove, you will fold. Your deep-seeded reason for wanting to achieve your goal is a very personal thing, and other people might not even understand it if you told them. It might not be something that other people consider extremely virtuous – maybe it is that you want to look good in a bathing suit this summer! But don’t judge it, or let other people judge you. If it is important to you, and it keeps you fired up about achieving your goal, then that is what you lean into when the training gets tough, or when a situation comes up that could derail you if you let it. Your WHY should be the deciding factor in which road you take – away from your goal, or toward it.
My WHY during most challenging endurance events that I have completed has generally revolved around not ever wanting to feel the shame of coming home and telling my family that I quit. That embarrassment would be so painful for me that it has pushed me beyond my physical limits in training and in the event, and led me to accomplish my goal. To me, that was a very strong WHY.
We all have goals that we want to achieve, and the best ones are pretty freaking hard to accomplish! That’s why we are in this hard physical training game. To give yourself the absolute best chance to cross the finish line, take the necessary time to Write Down Your Goal, and know WHY you are going for it. With those two steps checked off your list, you will be unstoppable.
Ryan