6th December 2019
The biggest threat to your success is:
The biggest threat to success is:
Have you ever started a gym program and failed to keep it up? Got two weeks into the new year and because your mate stopped going, you did. Or perhaps you had a dress size to get in to? Or you’re going on holiday and just want to rock a bikini? Perhaps you even achieved your goal of this beach body only to come back from holiday to put it all back on again?
I’ve known many people to start a business and even achieve some level of success but can’t seem to break through to the next level. This may be you, in your fitness journey. You get to some level of improvement/success and then seem to sabotage yourself. You don’t even know why! You had these grand ideas and goals yet you seem to trip yourself up on the way.
The reason is simple, success.
Many people in fitness, life, business etc.. achieve some degree of success and then take their foot off the gas. I know, I’ve done it many times. Back in my body building days I had a vision of what I wanted to achieve and I got there. Only to reward myself a bit too much and lose it all again. It was the same with basketball. I’d get to some level and seem to get no further.
I couldn’t figure out why I kept stopping then it dawned on me. It’s because I had achieved a goal!! So I had to develop a new mindset. One where the ultimate goal was set but this time there was a clear strategy of how to get there.
I would set a mini goal, one that was within touching distance. For example, another 5kgs on my bench press but just before I got there I’d push that goal a little further back. Think rungs on a ladder. You extend your arm to grab the next step but you’re looking at the step above. This keeps you forever reaching, forever driving and forever improving. Set small tangible goals and keep moving that goal further and further back before you get there.
I took this mindset into Cross Training events (a bit of a precursor to CrossFit). I would set mini goals of things like, 1 beat per minute lower of my heart on a run, or 1 second quicker. This constant little moments of success is what inspires you to keep going! Motivated by your own progress. The trick here is to focus within and not outside what you can control.
By focusing within you, you yourself become your biggest competition. By beating yourself every day you can make progress forever.
Don’t celebrate your successes too early, stay on track!