Hey there, my friend,
Picture this: It's New Year's Eve, and you're surrounded by glittery confetti, bubbly champagne, and friends who are so optimistic about the upcoming year, they're practically glowing.
It's a festive tradition as old as fruitcake—everyone taking turns to proudly proclaim their ambitious goals for the coming year. You, too, make your bold declaration—maybe it's learning French, losing those pandemic pounds, or perhaps it's finally writing that novel that's been gestating in your creative womb for the better part of a decade. The room erupts with applause. Glasses clink. Confetti showers. Everyone is filled with the sweet intoxication of optimism. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
And then, fast-forward to a random Tuesday in August—like today, when you're smack dab in the middle of your workweek, sipping lukewarm coffee, and suddenly that New Year's Eve optimism seems as ancient as the woolly mammoth. Your goals? Well, they seem as distant as a mirage in the Sahara Desert.
Why is this? Why do we start the year as determined as a granny at a Boxing Day sale, and yet, come mid-year, our resolutions are forgotten like a fashion faux pas from the 80s? Stick with me, dear reader, as we explore this modern mystery together—why haven't we reached our goals?
Now, let's clear the air. It's not that we're lazy, indifferent, or suffering from chronic procrastination syndrome (a condition I just invented, for the record). Nah, it’s nothing quite so nefarious. The truth of the matter is that we often misjudge the process of achieving our goals. And I'm talking from experience.
You see, once upon a time, I dreamed of being a Ironman. My aspirations were as high as a Himalayan peak, yet my cardio abilities were maxed out running 200 meters in my crossfit class. I had the heart of an athlete, but the physique of a clydsdale.
Well, like most of us, I figured a new pair of snazzy running shoes, an expensive fitness watch, an online training platform, and my running hat were all the ingredients I needed to morph into a triathlete. Oh, dear reader, I was more wrong than socks with sandals.
When it comes to reaching our goals, it's not about the equipment, the apps, or even the super cool hats. It's about understanding the journey. It's about knowing that it will be tough. It's about realizing that you'll need to huff, puff, and sweat your way to your goals—literally, in my case.
Now, let's get real for a moment.
You're not alone in this.
We all misjudge the effort it takes to reach our goals. We see the end point—Ironman athlete, fluent French speaker, published author, public speaker—but we often miss the grind that gets us there. The countless early mornings. The tedious repetition of practice. The constant struggle against the comfort of our cozy beds.
We often overlook another critical aspect, and that's the power of habit. Habits are to goals what peanut butter is to jelly—they just go hand in hand. It was only when I started training every day, rain or shine—that I started seeing improvements.
And remember, progress doesn't always come gift-wrapped in a pretty package.
MOST OF THE TIME progress looks like showing up even when you're tired. Progress is not hitting the snooze button for the fifth time. It's putting the alarm on the other side of the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off. It is the commitment to yourself to create greatness today, and tomorrow. Even though you are still not good at it, so it's really not any fun right now.
Most of the time, it's remembering that it's fun once we are good at something. Knowing that it doesn't need to be fun right now for us to have a fantastic outcome.
So, darling reader, if you're wondering why you haven't reached your goals yet, don't beat yourself up. Instead, remember that goals are a journey, not a sprint (unless, of course, you're aiming to be a sprinter...and even then you are going to need to do sprints for many years to be more than mediocre...).
Invest in forming habits, embrace the grind, and remember to laugh along the way. Because, as they say, if you can laugh at yourself, you're never truly bored!
Now, go forth, chase your dreams, and if you stumble along the way, remember to get up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward. And most importantly, remember to have fun! Because what's the point of reaching our goals if we don't enjoy the journey?
In the wise words of the great philosopher Dory from Finding Nemo, "Just keep swimming." Or in our case, just keep striving for your goals! ...ps. I am an ironman- that most definitely sang the just keep swimming song that whooole day of the event. What you put your mind to- you can do.
what you say you can't - you are right.
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