We are almost at the end of the month of setting goals. We only have 11 months left of this year!

Yikes

So why is it so damn hard to stick to the goals we set only a few weeks back?
In the movie ‘Ice Age’ Scrat runs around like a headless chicken. Darting this way and that. Seeming to be able to focused on something for a very short time. Only to be distracted by the next shiny object of desire.
He seems to lack a common thread that holds his actions together.

Let’s imagine that we are taking on a big fitness goal. Let’s call that Ironman.
It is totally admirable to do an Ironman. And there is nothing wrong with doing and training for that. However what often happens is that after the event we drop into slump and a deep hole until the next shiny object of desire draws us closer.
Let’s imagine my vision is to get fitter and I then choose to do an Ironman event. This underlying vision will inform how I go about pursuing my goal. The Ironman then becomes a station along the way as opposed to the end of the tracks.

It seems better to me to find that common thread of what we are actually trying to achieve rather being distracted by the shiny distractions along the way.

Let’s imagine two scenarios:
I want to do the fastest Ironman that I am capable of. This might mean that I take a step back and work on my swimming. The new technique will slow me down in the short term and it might take several years to surpass my current speed. I might experiment with nutrition finding what works for me. This might take a few tries. The individual event becomes a milestone along the long term path. I may even spend a large amount of money on a bike that shaves seconds off my overall speed. My overall goal is to get fast remember!

Or I might want to improve my overall health. That would then inform how I tackle the event. My focus would then not be on the finishing time but on how to complete the race healthier than when I started training. Maybe the fast bike would hold less interest but recovery and getting stronger and fitter overall. A completely different approach. Also afterwards I might continue my journey by taking up some strength training as that might be lacking. It is not something completely new. Then strength training and the IM all just become pieces in my puzzle.

My point is it is not about the end goal or summit. That is just a station along the journey. When we forget that we become distracted by other’s objects of desire. I might see a shiny bike and spend money on that rather than look at my overall fitness.

Simply put: don’t get distracted.
Stay your path.