That time of the year is upon us when everything’s about new goals to reach and projects to complete. A New Year’s classic. 2024 is around the corner, just as this year one gearing up to say goodbye, thanks for the memories. That also means the pressure is building up to reach certain milestones or have our entire lives figured out for the following 365 days.
A whole set of daily planners, bullet journals, calendars, and smart tools might come in handy for the most organized people, but for someone like me, who doesn’t get caught up in the tracking of the everyday routine, this might not be the most productive way of making things happen.
I’m not discouraging you from taking the time to make a list of the most important things you want to achieve, but my message behind this blog post is to make you analyze why are these goals so significant. What is successfully achieving a goal for you? What makes you so passionate about these goals in particular? What outcome are you expecting from each one of them? How do they add value to your life?
John Doerr, an American venture capitalist and author of the book “Measure What Matters” shares more on this insight in his TED Talk “Why the secret to success is setting the right goals” and touches on the point of why we obsess over one single goal we can’t seem to commit to and keep going back to it year after year, instead of just quitting and focus on something else.
“I’ll start saving this year” “I’m going to lose X amount of weight this year” “I’m going to finish that book this year”. Hey, we all are guilty, no shame I’ve been trying to go through a copy of “Crime and Punishment” since 2007, so who am I to judge you?
It’s not about impressing others or filling your resume or Instagram profile with new experiences, but are you fulfilling yourself with these objectives? Are you mainly focusing on the outcome but not interested in the journey? Have you set a plan or strategy to achieve those goals?
Let’s take a moment to reflect here on something I’d like to call “mental preparation”, and explain why this is so important.
So, amongst other things, one of my lifetime goals was to run a marathon. Yes 26.2 miles, or 42 kilometers, whatever sounds less scary to you. I’ve been running and staying active most of my adult life, a few miles here and there to blow off steam, help me deal with stress, and also get some endorphins in. In my head, the idea of running an actual marathon wasn’t scary or intimidating at all, until the opportunity came up to do it in New York (By the way, thanks NYRR!).
What I never realized is the amount of preparation (physical, mental, and emotional) it would take to endure a challenge of that level. When you invest yourself in something like that it takes more than just some quick runs in the week. It means all your efforts are focused on training, eating, and sleeping properly, for at least 3-4 months before the big day. It also means a lot of your attention will be prioritized towards the race, the course, the weather, the right shoes, and the activities the days before and after. And on top of that, it meant giving up on other hobbies, social activities and sometimes pressing matters that required my time.
On November 5th, I ran the New York City Marathon, along with another 50,000 participants from around the world, knowing I was close to reaching an objective that had been on my list for years. Was it worth it? Absolutely YES! Would I do it again despite having trained through extreme heat, rain, and wind and being conscious of all the obstacles, the pain, and the tiredness I had to go through for 4 months? Definitely! The challenge gave me purpose, helped me to stay on track with my self-care, and kept me motivated improving week after week. Today I feel as accomplished and proud of myself as I did that Sunday at 3:45 pm when I received my medal because I knew I had proven myself I was capable of doing it. That excitement will live forever in me, that’s how big that goal was to me.
So let me encourage you to think long and hard about what you truly want, what inspires you, and what dream keeps you up at night. Are you willing to do the hard work to reach for it? Are you ready to leave your comfort zone and go straight to the “challenge zone”? It doesn’t matter if it’s a personal or professional goal, if it will take a day or the whole year, or if others don’t see the value you do, as long as it’s clear in your head and heart. Remember this: If it scares you, it’s a great sign. In 2024, go for it, you’ve got this!
Thumbnail photo by @cottonbro studio on Pexels