"An average person with average talents and ambition and average education, can outstrip the most brilliant genius in our society, if that person has clear, focused goals." Mary Kay Ash
I have read that goal setting is crucial to success. I believe that. I think it is important to know where you are going otherwise you risk driving in circles. If you have a goal then it informs your decision making. You can weigh a decision based on its ability to move you toward your goal.
Setting goals is fun and creative and gives you purpose and drive. Unfortunately some people are intimidated by goal setting. With explicit goals there is alway the opportunity for explicit failure. It is best if you are timid to set some easy goals first to gain momentum. Once you are feeling more confident, then set your sites higher.
Goals are personal, but you should share them. Once people know your goals they can help steer you toward them. If I tell all my buddies that I want to have a 1000lb CrossFit Total by the end of the year, then when they see me they will encourage me to do more squats and work on my deadlift and my presses. Support is gained by letting people know your goals. It increases your likelihood of success when you have outside support.
Goals are made to be changed. If you reach your goal then you have to set a new goal. If you start working toward a goal and realize that it is not the right goal for you, then you have to set a new goal and switch direction. Sometimes it is a matter of fine-tuning and other times it requires a major overhaul but knowing that ultimately you are in control should give you a sense of power over your goals.
Remember when working on your goals there is the chance that you will not succeed. Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Do not be afraid to try. In fact trying is sometimes enough. Sometimes doing the unrealistic is easier than doing the realistic. There is no success where there is no possibility of failure and there is no art without the resistance of the medium.
What are some of your goals? Please post to comments.
Here's a pic taken at the most recent Crossfit Cert at Virginia Beach. (via)
This must be the place to post my "muscle-up by 2010" goal. April 2010, to be precise. Although according to your logic I should be setting a much more audacious goal -- so I guess I'll shoot for January 2009. May have to revise if September rolls around and I still can't do a pull-up, but there it is.
I really do want a 1000lb total by the end of the year.
... written by Juan G.,
July 02, 2008
you inspirational sonuvabitch. - I want a muscle up ASAP - I want a 9min 500m swim, - A sub 11:30 Mile and a half - A sub 32:00, 4 mile run.
all by the end of the year preferably before my 29th birthday.
Choice! written by Peter,
November 14, 2008
Hi Keith - spot on with your article - I really like it
The best bit for me... CF'ers are goal driven people, sometimes it takes humility in order to realise and change goals which aren't realistic or 'right'.
Not an excuse for not trying just a good dose of common sense is sometimes (always) useful :-) Go for your 1000lbs goal CFT
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