After years of training with and without a goal, I have come to realize that training with a goal is way better than training without a goal. More specifically, a goal with a deadline.
Last year I ran a marathon. I knew that it had a date and I knew I needed to be prepared or my legs would fall off on race day :)
That race was in October and I haven't had a specific fitness goal since (aside from doing 30 hikes in 30 days, which was different in my opinion!).
Three weeks ago, I started training for the a half marathon in March. I ran 3-miles. Two days later, I ran 4. I've been lifting and working out, but more randomly. Usually it's intense, but sometimes its not.
Having a goal makes all the difference in the world!
Even just knowing that I am training for an event has my mindset different when it comes to my workouts. For example, when I was training for the marathon, I knew I had to train, or I wouldn't be able to do it.
In my opinion, you must set your goals higher than you think possible. This will spur you to action.
It's always better to be overprepared, than under-prepared.
So pick your event or goal and pursue it!
I've been training for 3-weeks for the half marathon with my friend Sarah. We push & motivate each other which is awesome. If one of us is running faster than the other, we want to match each other. It's awesome, because it pushes us both.
Working as a team we can accomplish more than we could on our own.
Find someone who has a similar goal and latch on to them. Make sure they are a positive influence on you and then use each other as accountability partners.
This week we move into 5 and 6-mile runs. I'm excited about it, but kind of hope I can run outside and not on a treadmill ;) We can't always be picky though!
Pick your goal and pursue it whole-heartedly!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
2012 Was Learning, 2013 Will Be Growth
Often times this year, I beat myself up for where I was and also where I wasn't. I tried to stop these thoughts when they popped up, but negative thoughts have a funny way of creeping in like that, if you aren't mindful.
Today I realized that I am proud of my year, no matter how many mistakes I made, time I wasted, or things I didn't accomplish that I wanted too.
2012 was a year of learning. So much happened!
The biggest change was that on January 16th, 2012, I became a full-time entrepreneur pursuing my personal training/wellness initiative along side my health marketing business.
This is a big deal and I minimized it all year.
I plan this year to be more proud of what I did!
I also traveled to outside of the 50 states alone, to a remote island off Puerto Rico...
Those who know me agree that I should never be allowed to make my own travel arrangements again!
It was an amazing and adventurous experience, but it could have been more organized had I stuck in my strength zone.
One of my goals is to admit when I may need guidance and receive the help I need!
This year I spent a lot of time just learning and recouping.
It's crazy, but I spent almost 8-months mentally recouping and trying to remotivate myself toward my goals. You may never have noticed but the truth was I was exhausted, both mentally & physically. I was still pursuing, and learning and getting out of my comfort zone, but... I needed a break, and I felt guilty every minute I took time to myself or took time to watch countless hours of The Biggest Loser (and cry) or NCIS-LA (and live vicariously through their adventures).
Throughout this, I knew I was meant for more, I knew I should be doing more, and I knew I wanted more out of life, yet I was stuck in a rut of doubt, of fatigue and creeping thoughts of, "maybe I just want to be average for a while"
It's only been in the last 60 or so days, that I am out of this rut, that I feel truly and passionately excited about my future and MY goals.
I've always been excited about helping others achieve their goals. Always. This drives me. Helping someone else realize they are capable of more and helping them discover this through action and achievement is my favorite thing. I think about it often. I think about the people in my life who I can influence and help them discover better and great for themselves.
This year I ignored myself. I sometimes listened to thoughts in my head that said, "what you do doesn't matter" or "you're not really going to make that much of a difference."
These thoughts are not from a place I choose to live.
Some people think that spending time working on yourself is selfish.
This is flat out wrong.
When you work on yourself, you allow yourself to get better, to think more positively, to see the best in yourself. When you can see all these things in yourself, you can see them so much more in other people. And then you can influence someone else and help them overcome something that maybe you've already overcome.
How wonderful is that?
Working on yourself is not selfish, it provides you a vehicle to drive the people that cross your path to a place of peace.
We all want that.
I am now renewed. I have vision and purpose and I don't need to dwell in the past or even dwell in the mistakes or time I've wasted in 2012. It's over and there is nothing I can do to change it.
The only places to look are forward and up.
You can look up or forward right now and completely change your life for the better.
Whatever your situation, you can rise up and get a little bit better. Maybe it takes you a year to jump an inch, but every inch is a step closer to your dreams and goals.
Don't discount the inches. Celebrate them.
Remind yourself of what you've accomplished this year, and don't dwell in what you didn't.
You accomplished something.
Maybe it was as simple as getting a negative person out of your life, or paying off a bill that you've been struggling with, or maybe you lost weight this year (even 10 pounds is something to celebrate if you haven't done it yet). There are so many examples.
I'm expecting big things in 2013 and I hope you are too.
Dreams and goals don't just happen. They are orchestrated.
As soon as you can, write down your goals for the year and everything you desire to accomplish this year. Then pick dates on the calendar to achieve them. Make your goal visible, whether in picture or word, and don't settle for anything less.
Remember your past is your past. Your future is YOUR determined future.
Go get yours in 2013!
In health & prosperity,
Monica
Today I realized that I am proud of my year, no matter how many mistakes I made, time I wasted, or things I didn't accomplish that I wanted too.
2012 was a year of learning. So much happened!
The biggest change was that on January 16th, 2012, I became a full-time entrepreneur pursuing my personal training/wellness initiative along side my health marketing business.
This is a big deal and I minimized it all year.
I plan this year to be more proud of what I did!
I also traveled to outside of the 50 states alone, to a remote island off Puerto Rico...
Those who know me agree that I should never be allowed to make my own travel arrangements again!
It was an amazing and adventurous experience, but it could have been more organized had I stuck in my strength zone.
One of my goals is to admit when I may need guidance and receive the help I need!
This year I spent a lot of time just learning and recouping.
It's crazy, but I spent almost 8-months mentally recouping and trying to remotivate myself toward my goals. You may never have noticed but the truth was I was exhausted, both mentally & physically. I was still pursuing, and learning and getting out of my comfort zone, but... I needed a break, and I felt guilty every minute I took time to myself or took time to watch countless hours of The Biggest Loser (and cry) or NCIS-LA (and live vicariously through their adventures).
Throughout this, I knew I was meant for more, I knew I should be doing more, and I knew I wanted more out of life, yet I was stuck in a rut of doubt, of fatigue and creeping thoughts of, "maybe I just want to be average for a while"
It's only been in the last 60 or so days, that I am out of this rut, that I feel truly and passionately excited about my future and MY goals.
I've always been excited about helping others achieve their goals. Always. This drives me. Helping someone else realize they are capable of more and helping them discover this through action and achievement is my favorite thing. I think about it often. I think about the people in my life who I can influence and help them discover better and great for themselves.
This year I ignored myself. I sometimes listened to thoughts in my head that said, "what you do doesn't matter" or "you're not really going to make that much of a difference."
These thoughts are not from a place I choose to live.
Some people think that spending time working on yourself is selfish.
This is flat out wrong.
When you work on yourself, you allow yourself to get better, to think more positively, to see the best in yourself. When you can see all these things in yourself, you can see them so much more in other people. And then you can influence someone else and help them overcome something that maybe you've already overcome.
How wonderful is that?
Working on yourself is not selfish, it provides you a vehicle to drive the people that cross your path to a place of peace.
We all want that.
I am now renewed. I have vision and purpose and I don't need to dwell in the past or even dwell in the mistakes or time I've wasted in 2012. It's over and there is nothing I can do to change it.
The only places to look are forward and up.
You can look up or forward right now and completely change your life for the better.
Whatever your situation, you can rise up and get a little bit better. Maybe it takes you a year to jump an inch, but every inch is a step closer to your dreams and goals.
Don't discount the inches. Celebrate them.
Remind yourself of what you've accomplished this year, and don't dwell in what you didn't.
You accomplished something.
Maybe it was as simple as getting a negative person out of your life, or paying off a bill that you've been struggling with, or maybe you lost weight this year (even 10 pounds is something to celebrate if you haven't done it yet). There are so many examples.
I'm expecting big things in 2013 and I hope you are too.
Dreams and goals don't just happen. They are orchestrated.
As soon as you can, write down your goals for the year and everything you desire to accomplish this year. Then pick dates on the calendar to achieve them. Make your goal visible, whether in picture or word, and don't settle for anything less.
Remember your past is your past. Your future is YOUR determined future.
Go get yours in 2013!
In health & prosperity,
Monica
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)