Goals for the New Year
A few years back I had a coach helping me to train for Ironman Florida. I recall one swim session that she assigned with the following task. “Swim: 500m; would like you to ease into the first 100m then start to descend your pace. I would like you to have one of the stronger swim splits in your AG because your swim is indeed very strong. Your goal is to negative split the swim getting faster each 100. Only you will know if you do that so when you report back to me - consider if you achieved this goal.”
The beauty of this assignment was that she helped me to focus on what I could control. No matter what kind of day I was having, I could descend my effort and all I had to do was execute or produce this outcome. Which got me thinking about what goals can I set and win? What challenges can I make for myself that I can reach-with some effort and then feel good about it? What would inspire me to work and push to reach it?
Many people around the holiday food fest have said things to me like, I’m starting my diet the first of the year. That is such a big and vague not to mention depressing goal. But what if you exchanged this with something like every day I am going to enjoy 4 glasses of water, or perhaps something like during the month of January I am going to eat fruit instead of French fries whenever I eat out? This year I am going to set manageable goals that I can achieve leading me in the direction you want to go. How about you? What’s your New Years resolution?
-Written by Donna Dowell
“Never mind what others do; do better than yourself, beat your own record from day to day, and you are a success.” – William J. H. Boetcker
