Are you Willing to Suffer?

I read something that really sums up all of life's challenges: "The strength of what we believe is measured by how much we are willing to suffer for those beliefs." This statement could apply to a variety of things (physical, philosophical, emotional, etc.) but in the athletic or nutritional field, it's pretty self-evident. We "get good" at what we practice and there's no two ways about it. If you believe strongly in yourself and have set some attainable yet difficult goals, there will be some suffering...but the finish line is so rewarding because of it. Anyone reading this has had victories that came as a result of hard work and sacrifice...and usually, there was some losing along the way. It never seems to be easy, does it? But that's where the value of the accomplishment is derived - it was tough to get there but awfully rewarding.
by Chris Scully

5 Reasons you've Failed at your Goals

1. Lack of Clarity

Clarity is perhaps the most important concept in Setting up Goals. The greater clarity you have, the easier it will be to reach our goals. Decide exactly what you want. Write it down. Only about 3 per cent of adults have clear, written goals. This helps us to keep focus on the goals. Normally unwritten goals lead to confusions.

2. Lack of crystallizing the dreams

Crystallize and give a tangible form to the the goals. Be specific and practical about the dreams and eliminate the fantasies.

3. Lack of Planning

Make a list of all the steps you have to take to reach your goals. Keep reviewing the list and make necessary improvements.

4. Lack of homework

Prioritize the goals in a list. Try to do some steps every single day which helps to move closer to the goals.

5.Lack of action

Once all the above four steps are accomplished, take the action plan. Start working on the goals. Review the steps taken daily. Take all the measures which help to move closer to your dreams.

Heard of an old proverb? Something is better than nothing. Yes Time is never late. So lets start with a pen and paper and scratch the dreams there.

Sweat and the Pursuit of Happiness

"The secret to getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." - Mark Twain

I'm reading a book called The Athlete's Way by Christopher Bergland and it is really resonating with me. I would highly recommend it to anyone that wants to dig deeper into the pursuit of goals. Why some people are able to take the steps necessary and others just never get started. The author has done some pretty extraordinary things such as Ultramarathons and Ironman triathlons so he is clearly an overachiever. But he breaks down the psychology of performance in such a way that it applies to all things in life.

Here is a sample:

"The most valuable lesson that I've learned about the athlete's way is that it isn't just about the outcome, it really is about what happens along the way. The trick is to set goals and achieve them, but to take it down a thousand. To keep the bar high but stay very relaxed. You need to demand the most for yourself, but cut yourself some slack. Don't be a control freak, or try to be perfect-but still try to be the best you can. This is that tightrope walk of the athletic paradox."

"The pursuit of happiness is the prime motivating force in most people's lives. Athletes like to exercise because it makes them happy. If you are someone who thinks of exercise as a suffer-fest, a disagreeable, unpleasant experience to be avoided, the key is going to be for you to flip your perspective to associate physical activity with happiness...Athletes consider working out to be rewarding and pleasurable because they intuitively incorporate the four tenets of athletic bliss into every workout:

1. Presence of positive emotions
2. Physical pleasure
3. Meaning/Significance
4. Sense of achievement

If you can make even one of these a part of your exercise experience, you will be on your way to enjoying working out."

"Set a goal and don't quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don't quit until you reach it. Never quit." - Bear Bryant

So if you have extra bandwidth in your day and can afford the time, this is a very good book to help you either get started or to reinvigorate you if you have plateaued.

Chris Scully