Most of us, including myself, always fall victim to something very common, and that is; “starting January 1st, I’m going to…..”
New year, new goals, different motivation, but the question remains - how are you going to build consistency in your habits to support these goals? The busiest time of the year at the gym is the first week of January. Fine, let’s stretch that to the second week, but after that, you see a lot of the motivated new year warriors suddenly get too busy or lose the fire they started with.
Now, how do we carry out these resolutions in a consistent manner? Well, I’ve noticed a trend in my own behavior. Anytime I don’t have something to look forward to, I always tell myself “well, when an event or opportunity pops up, I’ll start locking in.” This is one of the most common “internal talks” that someone uses to convince themselves that it’s okay not to continue until something comes up (competition, wedding, summer, vacation, tryouts, etc).
Short Term/Long Term goals:
Excite yourself! Give yourself something to look forward to. You can internally create that “event or opportunity” that motivates you to stay consistent. A player development coach on the Sacramento Kings, Rico Hines, always reminds his players to know their big picture. The big picture you have for yourself, whether life changing or not, becomes a long term goal. When you decide to take a trip and drive cross country, do you drive 50 hours straight? Probably not. You stop off in several cities and appreciate the sites before ultimately getting to your final destination. These small cities, in turn, become your short term goals. If you’re on a quest to build a better body, setting daily caloric/exercise goals, which eventually lead to the completion of your weekly checklist, are the best ways to keep your mind engaged with the task at hand. Why do people quit the gym after 2 weeks? Well, the nature of a human being comes with the expectation of quick results, but when, after 2 weeks, they feel as though they’re at a standstill, they stop. Nothing great happens overnight!
What’s your ultimate goal? How will you get there?