It's that time of the year again. You know, the time to make resolutions that you try to keep, promises to yourself that you'll do whatever in the new year, then almost all of the time fall away from those promises? Well, I have a few resolutions for me, and a big challenge to all who happen to read this.
Let's start with my resolutions for this year.
- I will show a positive, loving attitude towards everyone in my family and a positive attitude to everyone I interact with everyday this year, even when I don't feel like it.
- I will run a half marathon this year.
- I will run several 10K races this year and set personal records in at least two of those races.
- I will reach my next weight goal of 225 pounds and then move on to my next weight goal.
The other items? Childs play for me.
I am doing a few things to make sure I hit my goals/resolutions for this year. How, do you ask, will I do this? Well, the first thing is how I worded the resolutions/goals. Look at them again and see if you know what I mean by this. Go ahead, I'll wait.
Did you see it? First of all, instead of just saying what I am going to do, I wrote it down, and wrote it down for the entire world to see! Second of all, notice the second word of every goal I set down. The word you see is "will". Not "try to", not "do my best to", nor any other word or combination of words that would allow me an escape, but I used the word "will". This sets the goal in stone and is a powerful reminder to me that I have set my mind and heart to do this and accomplish this. These goals are what I will do because I want to do them.
The next thing you'll notice is that each goal is attainable and some actually build on other goals. To lose weight and obtain my next weight goal, I will be running more. Why am I running more? Oh yeah, I want to run a half marathon this year. How will I start achieving that goal? I will be running more races, and those races (and subsequent training) will be at a 10K distance. See what I mean?
So the next questions are: "When do I start these?" and "How can I maintain them?".
The first question is easy. You start now. Not tomorrow, not next week, but now. The longer you put something off, the easier it is to give up on it because you never started it in the first place!
The second question is a little harder to answer, but I will try. You may have heard this said, but it is true. It takes 21 days of doing something to make it a habit, and once you have started a habit, it is easier to maintain what you want to do. So you start now, and then maintain that something for a minimum of 21 days. As you go through this period, you'll notice that whatever it is you are wanting to do will become much easier as the time goes by. Another thing to do is to keep a journal or a log book, especially if one of your goals is to do something physical. Use one of the free websites out there, use a spreadsheet, or simply write down what it is you need to write down. The more you log, the more committed you become to doing this. Believe me, it really helps you when you see the progress you are making.
That's basically it in a nutshell. That is what I do and will continue doing. As Yoda said to Luke Skywalker:
"No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."As for the challenge I alluded to earlier, here it is:
No matter what it is you set out to do this year, I am challenging you to actually do it! I have already set a new PR of 1:06:24 at a 10K distance this new year and have already signed up for a 5K race on the 12th of this month. I have started training for my first half marathon I will run this year! What is your one primary goal, fitness related or not for this year that you really want to do? Take the steps I have talked about above and start already! New Year, New You! Make it happen!
Thanks for reading! Have a great rest of the day!
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