I was sitting in a restaurant with my wife. It was a pre-race meal for her. She was competing in one of several half-IRONMAN distance triathlons on her way to competing in the full distance race in a few months. (For those who don’t know, a full IRONMAN triathlon is a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a marathon 26.2 mile run.) I had watched her train for the better part of a year. Many early mornings, many late evenings, many of both on the same day. When we traveled to Chicago, she took her bike and rode to Wisconsin and back. The dedication she demonstrated was incredible. Sitting at that table, I said something out loud that had been on my mind for a while. “I think I want to run a marathon.” (Notice I was planning to do just ONE of the THREE hard things she was doing.) She was incredibly supportive, which, if you know her, is the least surprising thing you will read today.
That was the both the hard part and the easy part. It was hard because once you say something out loud, once it is no longer your own secret, it becomes real. But it was also easy because I hadn’t actually done anything. Even when I registered for the race, I still hadn’t accomplished anything. The race organizers will happily take your money. You don’t even have to show up on race day.
It’s what happened after registration that was important. The training plan, the pieces of my life that became habit over the next several months. Like my wife – who did an amazing job, by the way- I had to build habits into my life in order to achieve that goal.
I often think about goals, and goals are great. But goals without the habits to achieve them are just wishes. As much as you think about what you want to achieve, you need to develop a plan as to how you will achieve it. What are the habits you will make part of your life to achieve your goals? How will you change your daily behaviors to move you toward your goals? It’s the small consistent changes in daily behavior that will ultimately help you succeed.
What habits have you put in place that have helped you achieve your goals?
Do you have someone to hold you accountable to them? More on that next week.
Patrick Day 