When to Modify Your Goals Rather Than Take a Knee
Modifying Your Goals
As many of you know I have been training for the Raleigh 70.3 Ironman Triathlon. This was a stretch goal but something I was focused on.
During my training I experienced a knee injury and an achilles tendon injury. Along with many missed days of training due to sickness. Now as I write this I am fifteen weeks away from the race and it is time to reconsider.
I am reassessing my goal and objectively comparing my current fitness state, with the necessary fitness level I need for success, and the time available. Fifteen weeks is not enough time.
My "all in" approach is great for achievement and focus but is a detriment to my health. I know if I continue to push towards Raleigh I will go too fast too soon and there is a high risk of injury which would probably be more severe. So do I just take a knee and give up? Nope.
When you are faced with goals that are unachievable given the current circumstances you don't need to quit. Here is what I did:
What was your underlying reason?
My reason for doing the triathlon was to get in great shape. Training for the Raleigh race is not the only way to do that. I also wanted to do something completely different has I hadn't completed any triathlon.
Can you modify your measure of success?
Last time I checked the Raleigh race was not the only triathlon out there. What if I picked another race? I know I have sunk money into the entrance fee but that was not all lost. The money was an investment in, and drove my fitness level to this point so definitely worth it.
What are the facts?
I was unhappy, depressed and unmotivated after my latest injury and it was hard to set that aside and look at the facts. Talking with my doctors, and my coach I was able to conclude that I shouldn't just quit. I focused on the facts and not the emotional state I was in.
Should you quit?
I did review my current state and seriously evaluate quitting. I was depressed and unmotivated and considered taking a knee or quitting. I also focused on what I consider goal success which is have I improved my trajectory. Based on my true underlying reason for the goal was I really moving forward. My goal wasn't to be world champion but rather to get in great shape and achieve something totally different. I could still do it.
Re-adjust your goal?
What did I do? I got back up of the ground and registered for another race. This race is right after the Raleigh race in Mid-June and is a shorter race. I signed up for the Maumee Bay SprintTriathlon http://www.hfpracing.com/events/fit/maumeebay/eventinfo.htm .
When faced with the decision to quit or give up on a goal, take are hard look at your true reasons, gather the facts and see what your real alternatives are before you just quit.
How I do my Annual Review
Every year I take some time and review the prior year as a first step towards planning the coming year. Here is how I did my 2015 Annual Review.
Words of the Year
At the end of the year I write three words that describe the previous year. I described 2015 as a year of:
- Sorrow
- Planning
- stressful
I lost my father in 2015 and that coupled with a tough year at work provided the sorrow and stressful theme. I spent a lot of time planning for my website and my triathlon training, too much in my estimation, so that is the planning theme.
I compare those three words to the three I set while planning the year. I had set:
- Planning
- Health
- Execution
Annual Summary
With these six words as a backdrop I write out an Annual Summary of the year. From 50,000 feet how did the year feel? How did it go? I really consider this brainstorming as I just write what comes to mind. It is important for me that I do no mid sentence editing or culling of my thoughts. I just let my thoughts flow as I think about last year. Typically these are memorable items, events, people or activities that took place.
Journal Review
After the Annual Review I go through my journal for the year to help jog my thoughts on other things that took place. In hindsight I think things seem better or not as bad as they seemed at the time. That is why I review my journal to really capture the emotions and reactions I had at the time. Much more powerful than the antiseptic hindsight review at the end of the year.
Goal Review
After I get my summary down I go into a deep review of the goals I set. Each year I typically put together a visual timeline on when I am going to meet certain goals so I include that image in my annual review.
I list out each goal I set for the year. I include:
Goal - what was the specific goal.
The Why - I am a firm believer that if you don't have a big enough why you will not make the progress you want. So this is the why I must achieve this goal.
System and Processes to Achieve - This describes the specifics of how I am going to achieve the goal. This also includes what will I put in place almost daily to move my trajectory forward.
Tracking Progress and Process - How am I going to track my progress including what am I going to track and specifically how — (google spreadsheet, tally sheet , etc.)
Trajectory
Under each goal I type one question to answer - What was my trajectory? Did I improve and move towards the goal or away from it? This in my mind is key as I view goal achievement as a process not an end state. If I improved myself and moved forward then I consider that a success. I do this for each goal. I give myself an arbitrary rating between 1 - 10 on each goal.
Quick Summary
The last thing I do is finish up with a paragraph or two of how I view last year. I find this important to do last as it changes a bit after I have done the 50,000 foot review, and the specific goal review. This year's summary highlighted that I thought I had too many goals, that I spent too much time planning and not enough doing. I also had a lot of frustration from work and from the injuries I experienced.
After I have this drafted I let it sit for at least 2 days and then go back. I take a clean page or file and bullet point out thoughts about what happened last year and compare the list to what I had documented? Anything new, anything different? If so I flesh them out and add them to the summary.
After that I review the document one more time and I scan it in and if it is a file I convert it to PDF.
Summary
I use this Overall Summary as the beginning for the current year's goal and system brainstorming session. Did I have too many goals? Do I continue to have the same goals year after year and don't act on them? This guides my goal setting process and helps me refine my process and set me up for success. Improve the trajectory year after year. Consider this the annual 2% improvement.