Olympic Tips For Reaching Your Goals

This summer I’ve been watching bits and pieces of the Olympics, especially the cycling, swimming, gymnastics, and running. I spend half the time in tears because I’m so happy for whoever wins! Coming from an active and competitive family, I know how long and hard they’ve worked for their achievements. It takes daily, monthly, and yearly dedication and commitment to get where they are. It’s inspirational, for sure. 

Even if you aren’t in the spotlight, you can take some tips from the athletes to achieve your own goals: You need to focus on what you want and surround yourself with the right people to help you get there. That’s exactly what I’m doing to achieve my own goals! 

My First Goal: Swimming

I’m coming up on my short-term goal of swimming the Donner Lake open water swim this Saturday. I’ve swam it three times before, once 34 years ago, once 8 years ago, and again last year. I checked my times for each race, and it appears that I’ve been six or seven minutes slower each time. This year, I’d like to beat last year’s time at least. 

To (hopefully) achieve a better time, I’ve been enlisting the help of others. I’ve got my longtime swim coach, Joel, helping me with the athletic side of things. I also have a good friend, Carol, who keeps me accountable by meeting me at the pool for swims. 

I’m not trying to win any medals with this swim, but rather I am using it as inspiration to keep swimming. It makes me feel good physically and mentally, which in turn helps my other goals of feeling good and staying fit and active. It’s also amazing how many problems I can work out in the pool. Wish me luck!

My Second Goal: Writing a Book

As I’ve been sharing in my weekly newsletters, (again - accountability!) my other goal is long-term. It’s to write the first book in a series on gut health, why it matters, and how you can improve your own. I had my first meeting with my book coach/editor last week, so I’m ensuring I have the right support around me.

Meeting with her made things seem a bit more real, and I’m excited to know that I’ll have someone helping me each step of the way. I’ve never written a book before, and she will help me keep my goal front and centre. 

Apply It To Your Own Goals

Even if your goals are small compared to the dreams of Olympians, if they matter to you, they are important! Whether it’s moving your body more, eating more vegetables, writing your own book, or having quality time with friends or family, you can use the same strategies as the elite athletes do. Here are some tips: 

Stay Focused

We often push our own dreams and goals aside to make room for the business of life, but that won’t get you anywhere. Here are tips to keep your goals front and center: 

• Put it on the calendar. For me, if I don’t schedule time to work on my goals, it won’t happen. 
• There’s an app for that. There are lots of habit-tracking or goal-setting apps that will send you reminders. It’s also fun to see and track your progress! From walking to drinking more water, there are even specialized apps to help you reach your goals. 
• Use visual reminders. If you’re a visual person, try putting positive messages or reminders on post-its and place them where you’ll see them throughout the day. Another way to use visual reminders is to put the item you will use somewhere obvious - like your running shoes at the front of the stairs or your journal in the middle of the kitchen table. 
• Enlist help. Olympians don’t achieve greatness on their own, which is why enlisting help is its very own tip! 

 Surround Yourself With the Right People

When you have a team of people cheering you on, it’s easier to keep going. Here are ways to surround yourself with the right people: 

• Get a coach. Hiring an impartial expert is an excellent tool to help you reach your goals. They aren’t personally invested in your life, but 100% want you to succeed. They also have helped others through the same process, so will have professional insights into strategies to help you. 
• Tell others about your goal. By simply telling others about what you want to achieve, you put a bit more skin in the game. Tell your kids, spouse, best friend, or others you trust about your efforts, and ask them to ask you about it! You’ll want to have updates for the next time they ask, so you’ll be more motivated to keep at it. 
• Find an accountability buddy. Find a friend or group of people who have a similar goal, and then make plans to work on it together. It could be in person or even online.

You Can Do This

I love setting and going after my goals, but I love achieving them even more! You can do the same by simply tweaking your strategies to get what you want. Start by finding your focus and keep going by adding support around you. And if you’re not sure where to start, I’m here to help. I have space to work with a few people this season, so reach out and let’s chat about what you want to work on.