Starting out on any new journey can be a daunting prospect & often when we think about where we are right now & where we want to get to, (so A (being now) to B (dream goal)) it can seem like an almost impossible & unachievable task.
Therefore we get stuck in this spot of not taking action & doing nothing. Why?
Because it’s easier to do nothing, stay in your comfort zone than get honest with yourself, put some hard work in & start making some changes.
I like to think of any goal whether that’s a riding goal for the year, a performance goal in the gym or a weight loss target as a mountain. What you’re seeing right now is the mountain, you’re at the bottom & all you see is the peak & you’re sitting here thinking how the f*ck am I meant to get up there?
But rather than looking at the top of the mountain right away why don’t you look for the first run on the ladder or step to get onto the mountain?
If you look there will be one for sure. Then you can start to climb, as soon as you’ve put that first foot on the run you’ll find the climb to the top suddenly becomes much easier, quicker & way less daunting.
So that’s how I coach all of my riders through their journeys. Small steps & focusing on 1% progress every day. Huge, big, SMART goals as fancy as they may seem just don’t work- period. Too much focus is put on the end result rather than focusing on the journey & what needs to happen in order to get you there.
So here are my 5 top tips to start getting you closer to your goals & actually achieving;
1-Start small
As I said big goals don’t work. They’re overwhelming & are often totally unrealistic when we try to implement them.
What is 1 thing you could focus on right now to start moving you closer towards your goal?
That could be committing to taking a 20 minute walk every day for the next 2 weeks. Or maybe committing to writing a meal plan each night to get on top of your diet choices.
Everyone is different so ignore what Sue is doing next door & focus on YOU, what is the 1 thing you could do now that seems achievable?
Decide & do it. Small steps aren’t shiny or fancy but they are 100% what will get you to your end goal.
2-Diarise
If it’s not written down or in your diary how are you ever going to
A, remember what the heck you’re doing
B, when you're doing what
C, stick to it?
Diarsing training sessions or trips to the supermarket is just as important as writing down your next XC lesson with your riding trainer. Start having more respect for your journey & write down when your gym session is or when you’re taking 20 minutes to add in some stretching. If you write it down it’s far more likely to happen as you can see it so you’ve got that constant visual prompt. Plus if you write it down you’ve internally committed to getting that task done within yourself.
Start writing things down in your diary with times & stick to it. Lay it out & if you’re committed to making this your priority then it will happen.
3-Remember we’re looking for 1% each day
This is where staying in your lane is so important. If you start comparing yourself or your rate of progress to others then you may well get frustrated, disheartened or annoyed with your own journey & often this can lead to you thinking well what's the point or shall I just give up?
When in actual fact the real reason you feel like that is 100% down to the fact you’re directly comparing yourself to someone who isn’t you, stop right now! Never compare yourself & focus on YOU.
If your goal is weight loss & each day you lost 0.1 kg over a week that would be 0.7kg which over 4 months would be 2.8kg gone. When you look at the bigger pciutre you can see why steady progress is so important because it is maintainable & you can sustain it in the long run. So don't get disheartened, progress is progress however big or small & never forget that!
If you only focus on right now, right there then yes 0.1kg may feel disheartening but remember to look back at where you started & acknowledge where you’re going.
As long as you’re moving forwards even 1% that is 1% better than you were! Progress
4-Focus on habits
Long term sustainable results come down to 1 thing, behaviour change. Behaviour & habit change is the reason you will get the results you get & are able to maintain them for the rest of your life. It’s important to remember that you’re challenging internal dialogues & behaviours you’ve had for a long time so don’t think this is going to happen overnight.
For instance, if you want to become someone who trains every day at 7am in their home gym then start making small changes to build that habit. Leaving your gym kit out in your room the night before, trainers by your door, equipment laid out in your gym space & set up your alarm on the far side of the room & you’ll be up starting to become the person who does train at 7am when you make yourself get up & out of bed to turn that alarm off.
At first, it won’t feel comfortable but make it easy by giving yourself cues & prompts like the above. Stick to it, be consistent & in time these behaviours will become your new habits. I cannot emphasise enough how much of your result comes down to this, not the method you use!
5-Be consistent
"The key is consistency" is most definitely the phrase I use most when coaching any client. It is so flipping true yet 90% of the time this gets overlooked when we’re not getting the results we came for.
With nutrition & fitness there are many options out there so it’s easy to try something for say 4 weeks, give it a go, see how you go then if you’re not enjoying it or getting what you want from it you just jump ship & hop onto another programme.
I can guarantee you if that’s what you’re currently doing or have done you’re never going to get to where you’re hoping to end up & it's time to start being honest with yourself.
Being consistent is the ticket to your result. I’d suggest you give any method a good 90 days & see how it goes for you. When I say consistent I don’t mean dipping in & out, I mean being consistent, doing things every day & actually being consistent. It’s like if you’re trying to nail a shoulder in with your horse. You wouldn’t practice it once a week & expect to be Charlotte overnight, would you?
The consistency card is where making sure you follow a programme that actually works for you, your lifestyle, time & is realistic is so important so that you can be consistent!
Remember it’s easy to overcomplicate things, totally overwhelm yourself & make your goals seem totally unrealistic or unachievable but in reality that’s all in your head & happens when you can only see the big picture. Start small & build from there.
Good luck with your goals & I hope this helps you on your journey!