Conquering Your Big Hairy Audacious Goals
If you go on social media you can find people who just completed 100-mile mountainous races, ran obstacle course races, got straight As on their report card, ran a 5K, got promoted at work, did pull ups, lifted heavy weights, or any other awesome feat. You may think they are just lucky and have talent. The good news for us is, they aren’t just lucky! They inately possess some level of talent and skill, but what social media didn’t show was all the obstacles they overcame and the work they put in build their skill and achieve these feats.
I think this is amazing! Too often we write ourselves off and don’t even attempt an awesome goal because we think it’s impossible. Sure there are some things that are impossible. For example, at the age of 33, height of 5’2”, and lack of passion, I will never play in the WNBA. However, there are many so things that are possible when we put in the work.
One of my highlights is competing at the Spartan World Championship in 2019 and finishing 13thin my age group. I spent 4 and a half hours running up and down mountains, completing obstacles, doing burpees, and swimming in a very cold lake. If you would have told me I would be doing this two years prior, I wouldn’t have believed you. I didn’t achieve this because I am so talented at OCR or got lucky. I achieved it because of the mental and physical work I put into this goal.
If you want to achieve a Big Hairy Audacious Goal keep reading for some tips.
Choose a growth mindset. Having a growth mindset means you believe you can get better. You can improve your intelligence and skills. This is so important. We may fail at something the first time we try. In my first Spartan race I failed three obstacle (practically back to back) and had to do 90 burpees. Instead of seeing this as a failure, I looked as this as an area where I could get better. Whenever you start a new goal there are almost always setbacks. There is no shame is failure or setbacks. You had the courage to try. You can choose to see these setbacks as permanent and abandon your goal, or you can choose to see them as an area to get better and grow. When you choose the latter, it’s amazing what you can do and how far you can go!
Create a plan. By creating a plan and writing it down, you are freeing up space if your mind. You don’t have to think about what you will do each day, you wake up knowing. Of course you can hire a coach to help with this plan. Be sure it’s realistic and meets you where you are at. If you haven’t run in years, your first run shouldn’t be 10 miles. Be specific and check it off daily.
Be consistent with your plan. This us your magic pill! We don’t all of a sudden become awesome at something. You have to show up and put in the work. You have to work the plan. Of course sometimes a plan needs a few tweak along the way, and that’s okay. You have to show up for your goal if you want to achieve it. One of the best things I realized is that I can work out even if I’m not in the mood. I always feel better after. Should you push through physical pain? No. If you just don’t feel like working out, you can still do it. It is taking ownership and showing up on these days that pays off the most.
Let go. Let go of the self-doubt and self-beliefs holding you back. Let go of the negativity. Let go of the enormity of your goal and focus on the steps of your plan.
Surround yourself with supportive people. Find a group who is working towards the goal you are working towards or is knowledgeable in that area. You will get better just by being around them.
Have fun! Enjoy the process and the event. Yes you have to put int he work, but you should enjoy yourself and feel excited about what you are doing.
The next time you see something that you would absolutely love to do, but you feel is out of your league, I challenge you to reframe your thoughts from “I could never do something like that.” to “How can I work to do something like that?!” YOU are capable of so much more than you think! YOU got this!