Just get started!
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream”- C.S. Lewis
Hello blogging world! After a lot of thought and time spent on airplanes I have decided to join the blogosphere. I am so excited to share my travels, books that I am reading and overall tips that I have gathered about how to navigate through your twenties with visits to the U.S. National parks sprinkled in.
One thing I often see and hear is people acknowledging all the things they are going to do, but never really committing to it. I am big about goal setting at the New Year and breaking bigger goals into smaller goals to use as checkpoints and make sure that I am checking in with myself to accomplish that goal before the year end. In 2016 it was 10 half marathons, in 2017 it was taking a trip by myself, this year it was to run three obstacle course races throughout the year. Since finishing school there are no real benchmarks anymore like when semesters would end or switching quarters in high school and it feels like the weeks are just flying by on the calendar. I use my goals to benchmark throughout the year and always give me something to work towards or look forward to.
I follow the SMART goal method when setting my goals for the year. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the SMART goals they are:
Specific- Be very specific with what it is you are going to accomplish so that you are more likely to stick to it
Measurable- Set criteria to understand what it will take to accomplish the goal you are setting
Attainable- Where there’s a will, there’s a way is an important mantra to remember when goal setting. When you find something that is important to you and you map out how you will achieve it you will start to adjust your attitude and abilities to make sure you achieve it
Realistic- This is an important one. To stay committed to your goal you need to set a goal that you are both willing and able to work towards
Timely- Your goal should have a timeline. This does not mean there needs to be a sense of urgency but that you are giving yourself an appropriate amount of time to achieve the goal you have
When I told people I was going to run 10 half marathons in one calendar year all the skeptics started piping in. While I know there was a genuine concern for me I knew that this was an attainable goal for me and I was going to be SMART about it. I would continue training and started reading up on the best way to recover, nutrition plans, workouts changed and I knew that I was going to do it. I had made a commitment to myself and had my mind right. When you set your mind to something and truly believe in what you are working towards there is nothing that will stand in your way of achieving it. You might have to sacrifice things here and there to make it work, but isn’t it worth staying in a few weekends in a row knowing that you are going to be taking a 2 week trip out of the country. I think so.
The most important thing to remember is to just get started and write out your goals, stick them somewhere that you will see them every day and remember what you are working toward that day. This could be on the fridge, on the bathroom mirror, saved as a note in your phone wherever you can find it when you need the reminder. Just get started and that timeline will get shorter and shorter and you will achieve whatever it is that you set your mind to. Find a friend that will be an accountability partner and text you that daily motivation you might need to hear.
