Staying focused on your goals in the chaotic global minefield of distractions is no simple task.
Sometimes it is necessary to hit the pause button and reflect upon the real reason you are working, striving, and sacrificing to get closer to your goals. Taking ownership upon yourself, and yourself alone, to reach a goal is critical to success.
It can be a tough and lonely road at times, but reflecting upon where you are, where you’ve been, and where you want to be is a way to keep yourself on track. And each time you reflect on your reason for setting your goal – you will be encouraged when you find yourself closer than you thought you were.
Though you are firm in your goals and your reason for wanting to achieve them, circumstances often change. Life happens. While it may be true that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line – this is not a typical path for goal-seekers. There are always road blocks, obstacles, distractions, and dead-ends that will challenge you every step of the way. No matter how committed you think you are, failure to adapt to changes in schedule and/or circumstance can be detrimental to any goal.
Now that you own your goal and your reason for wanting to achieve it, you must adaptively continue to plan on how to get there.
Let’s take the popular goal of weight loss or health as an example. Perhaps as a youth, you were a great athlete and therefore no stranger to the weight room. But you’ve found that the same program that worked for high school track practice is far too advanced for you now. How will you change your approach to exercise this time around?
Or perhaps you were never an athlete, and your exercise experience is limited. How do you know where to start?
The how is different for everyone – but the starting point is simple – just start trying. But do yourself a favor – start by trying something you like or you think you will enjoy. If you hate the idea of going to the gym and running on the treadmill – then don’t!
Whatever you do, don’t limit your workouts to the treadmill (or anything) because you think it is the “only way” or because it is “what you have always done” or because it is the “only way you know”. If you are chasing a healthy lifestyle, there are more roads that lead there than ever before. Step outside your comfort zone just a little further and see what all of your options are; and try them all! Try everything! Try the gym, a training studio, a class with your friend that keeps asking you to go – just try! Open yourself up to new experiences and you will land right where you belong.
