Pave Your Road to Gold (Part 2 of 4)
Is your motivation for achieving your gold medal goals as hot as the Olympic Games? Or has “reality” hit – sending those dreams out the window faster than Michael Phelps can dive into the water?
Depending on how long you’ve been dismissing your dream or convincing yourself why it could never happen for you, the simple act of believing in your dream again can require some effort. So be patient with yourself.
Try these techniques to pave your road to gold:
Just start
If you’re me, you like to have all the details ironed out before you take the first step. If my goal is to run a 5K, then I want the right sneakers, running gear, clocked route and even the weather report before I start. The problem with this approach is that it just puts barriers between you and your goal, and you lose momentum and motivation. Just start. Start with what you have today.
Baby steps
Identify one small and simple step that you can take toward your goal. It could be as simple as drinking one glass of water a day. This will ease you into change and build your excitement and motivation. Once this step becomes ridiculously easy, add a second easy step into your routine. Although this may feel elementary at first, don’t do too much at once. This approach is what eases change into your lifestyle.
Change the conversation
Pay attention to the thoughts and stories you tell yourself. Negative-self talk can squash your motivation and leave you feeling quite defeated. Replace that thought of “diet food tastes like cardboard” with “I’m going try new and tasty food!”
Get inspired
This may be the easiest one at the moment. Watching the Olympics can inspire you to see what is possible. Listen to their stories as the media interviews them.
You can get inspiration from others who have achieved a similar goal to you by reading books, blogs, magazines or watching YouTube videos. You can even create a vision board or Pinterest board of inspiring images and quotes. The more you expose yourself to the realization that your goal is achievable, the more successful you will be.
Remember no effort is too small. Nobody ever said that the road to victory would be easy, but it’s most certainly worth it.
Just follow a little advice from Winston Churchill, “Never, never, never, never give up.”
This is part 2 of a 4-part series. Read part 1 -
Achieve Your Olympic Dream.