With August just about to begin, I realise that Christmas is not far away! I still have a couple of major things to look forward to this year, as I have the Copenhagen Ironman followed by the family holiday in August that still need some planning.
Looking back at the first 6 months of 2018, I have ticked off quite a few things that I had on my ‘to do list’ and there are other things that are on track to achieve. I find that, by having these targets written down, it keeps me motivated to achieve things throughout the year.
I tend to look at about 7 different areas to work on (above is my “events” area) and they often interlink and are dependant on one thing happening to ensure something else can happen. For instance, I set some income targets which linked to some home improvements, so if I don’t hit the target, the improvements won’t get done!
It’s amazing that when you commit something to paper, and share it with other people, the desire to get on with it (for me) seems to be stronger. A friend of mine recently did the Etape du Tour – a stage of the Tour de France which included 5 big hill climbs and 108 miles. He seemed to be struggling at the beginning of the year, with his motivation to train, as he hadn’t identified his challenge for the year. Once he agreed and booked the Etape event, there was no stopping him.
We cycled throughout the winter, in weather we wouldn’t normally cycle in, and we booked a cycle ride in Mallorca to ensure we were on track. (Me for the IM and him for the E’tap)
Even though we have a different end goal, we both felt more motivated and helped each other to keep to the plan. I realise that I work better when I am doing something with someone else. I am more committed and more likely to do more when someone else is there with me.
By looking at my list, and the ticks, I feel satisfied and it makes me review things on a regular basis. As you can see from the list above, things sometimes change – Berlin with my wife and some mates sounds so much better than the Bournemouth marathon!
How do you keep motivated to achieve things? What one major thing do you want to achieve that needs some planning, just to get you motivated?