20 days to go
Is there a place for ‘before and after’ images when it comes to us setting a personal goal? Or is it the case that we look at those photographs and lose the will to live?
As with all else it comes down to what we as individuals see, where we are in our journey and how much we really want to achieve our goal. An important aspect of before and after is the narrative that accompanies the images. Does it convey just how much effort, focus and determination took place between the before and the after? Does it tell of the many obstacles, the blood, sweat and tears shed, the setbacks, the pain? Does it break the journey down into the hundreds of small achievable steps that were hard won, paving the way from the before to the after?
Few challenges come easily, after all they wouldn’t be a challenge if you knew you could do them. Keeping a focus on the ultimate objective itself can be difficult, after all we are only human and it would be a rare thing not to backslide or take a rest day, week or even months when working towards a goal – life just gets in the way sometimes. We’re not always realistic in what we expect of ourselves either and can become thoroughly miserable if working hard or depriving ourselves of something in pursuit of our goal. That’s no way to achieve it. The journey does need to be enjoyable as this makes you more likely to stick to any schedule and achieve.
All of this applies to sporting goals too whether it be a 5k, half marathon, triathlon or something daft like my 62@62 challenge. It’s not about the distance, it’s about the goal. It took me a month to run my first mile continuously, going out three or four times a week, and when I did it was barely faster than my walking pace but that mile was as hard won as any other goal. And speaking of baby steps and small goals, if anybody had told me six weeks ago or even on Friday, that yesterday I would be where I am in this photo I simply would not have believed them – and I’ve not been photo-shopped in there 😊
The result of any challenge is a single point in time but leading up to it can be months or years of shear blood, sweat and tears that have gone largely unnoticed by other than a few people. No challenge comes easily – don’t be put off by before and after photos or seeing the end result of someone else’s challenge, and never say “never”. Take heart from seeing their results and knowing that they just started before you did. And don’t think you don’t have it in you as you do. It starts by taking the first small step and there’ll always be someone around to support you. We’ve all taken that first step at one time or other.
Always happy to help if you feel I can 😊
Imagine the unimaginable - then make it happen