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| Mount Katahdin - Baxter State Park |
When approaching training I have always backed the idea of
having a plan or a goal in place, but what keeps someone like myself (or anyone
for that matter) focused on achieving that said plan? The answer is very
simple; weighing the consequences. Over quarantine I had accomplished some
amazing goals that I had set for myself throughout the year based off of the
idea that when faced with a decision. If I wasn’t actively making the choice to
help contribute to my goal, then it wasn’t the right choice to make. Simple as
that.
Next comes following through with those choices to see the
decision come into fruition. I need to drink 3 liters of water today, but I
want to drink another cup of coffee. I have decided to drink the water because
it will bring me closer to my goal. Now just because I made the decision to
drink the water, does not mean I’ll actually do it. I have to hold myself
accountable for the decision. A consequence should be put into place if I
cannot fulfill the decision (that I made consciously) and enforced when there
is no follow through. This is the art of self-discipline in a nut shell.
So what did I do those days I came up short and did not meet
my goals, or action items to achieve those goals? I suffered the consequence of
the action. For something like the water consumption, it may have been the
denial or a certain snack or other beverage later in the day. That internal
dialogue of, “Well, if you aren’t going to drink the water, then that coffee is
completely off limits until you do,” is that driving force to actually get it
done. It’s the same thing with bigger goals; without that discipline to effectively
make decisions that contribute to your end-product, the further you get from
reaching the target.
When it comes to teaching, keeping people focused and
motivated can be a tough task. You can successfully provide all the necessary
tools and the proper environment for someone to prosper, but they will fail to
realize those goals if they have no desire or drive to do so. That old adage of
leading the horse to water feels all too real now. From a student perspective,
have that goal in mind of what you want to achieve and have a solid talk to
yourself in the mirror if you are willing to do what’s necessary to get there.
Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to be a better athlete? Do you want to
complete some sort of bucket list item? All of these questions involve you, so
you have to buy into it 100%! Once you’ve come to terms that you are going to
hold yourself accountable, the teacher/coach can help guide you in the right
direction.
The biggest challenge a teacher faces is to teach their students
how to learn. Without the proper mindset to learn, the information relayed won’t
stick. It just doesn’t hold enough weight in that sense. I can remember most of
the things I used to learn about in college and grade school were difficult to
retain because I wasn’t passionate enough about the topics. If you have set
yourself a goal you have to be passionate about it, which transforms into that
willingness to learn. Passion breeds great students. They want to be there and
they want to learn; their success depends on it. Do yourself a favor and find
yourself a goal of passion and the search for knowledge and wisdom will not
feel like work.
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| Mount Monroe - White Mountains |
The last bit of this is what happens once you’ve gone all
in, you’ve set your goals, the choices are always made in favor of the bigger
picture, you stay motivated and driven, and then finally the day comes where
your goal has been achieved. What now? My thought is that you need to enjoy that
accomplishment, but don’t get too caught up in the celebration that you forget
that it isn’t the end of it all. Be willing to start the process over again and
achieve a new goal. Never settle with the idea that you’ve accomplished all
that you possibly could in your lifetime. Even if you fail you are in the
position to learn from those mistakes and make the choices to realize your
dreams. There may also come I time where you need to shift your focus or
breaking your goal down into smaller parts to assure yourself that you are
going in the right direction.
Life is full of many trials and many errors, but through it
all we become the best versions of ourselves that we can possibly be. Without
the ability to convince ourselves of our worth, it’s hard to buy in to the idea
that we deserve the opportunities to succeed. Give yourself the reason to try
and hold yourself to your word. Your honesty and integrity you hold within
yourself, for yourself, is your key in seeing things through. As a coach or teacher
we can guide you, but as the student you have to make the climb with your own
will-power. If you stumbled do not fear, an outstretched hand will always be
waiting to help you back up. Just don’t ever give up.
