Saturday, December 31, 2011

Turn Dreams into Reality in 2012

Beautiful sunrise in the Columbia Gorge


The New Year is always a time of hopeful new beginnings!  Whether you call it a New Year's resolution or goal it provides an opportunity to look at your life and assess the path you're choosing.  The challenge for many people is taking an honest, yet realistic look at their life to determine the life changes or dreams and how to make those dreams a reality. 


 For me last year this process was completely different than in past as I was recovering from heart surgery and honestly completely starting over. I felt so blessed to finally have some resolve and be able to feel like I was living my life again instead of feeling trapped inside a body that was failing me. I learned in 2011 not to take life for granted and enjoying the journey for me was all about giving back more than I take. I feel completely blessed to have my 2nd chance to share my gifts with others and help to inspire other people to reach their goals.



In 2011, my goals were simple.... start living again, spend time with family and help/inspire other people through my situation by showing people that even though life doesn't go as planned it is truly how we respond that defines us.   I feel I accomplished these goals proving to myself I could participate in triathlons and running races even if I wasn't as fast as before I heart surgery.  I truly learned to appreciate the participating and enjoying the process no matter the result.  I was just thankful to be able to participate again.  I proved to myself and others that anything is truly possible as I completed the Ironman only 6.5 months after heart surgery!


I believe that anything is possible, although so many people put limits on their dreams and unfortunately they never become reality.  I feel many goals are about having the mental confidence and consistent dedication to make it happen.


So, what is holding you back in 2012?  Many people have fear of taking risks, although dreams can never become reality if we don't take a risk.  The risks I speak of vary from person to person based on our individual goals.  It's all about priorities and perspective. 


In 2012, my primary goals include....

  1. Staying Healthy (Being consistent and listening to my body)
  2. Maintaining Life Balance (Prioritizing family, exercise, coaching and work)
  3. Giving Back (I feel that giving more than I take truly fuels my soul)
  4. Inspiring  (Use my experience and passion to encourage others)
  5. Enjoying the Journey  (Focus on the process and keep it fun)
My secondary goals include:

  1. Improve my cycling!  (I need to bike more with purpose)
  2. Boise 70.3 ~ 6/9/12 (Train consistently starting 1/1)
  3. Ironman AZ ~ 11/18/12 (Race to my potential and enjoy the journey!)

So, why no time goals?  One of the many things I learned recovering from heart surgery is that time goals only matter to me (so I'll post them on my mirror =)), although motivating they can also add extra pressure. The challenge with time goals is the variables involved are out of our control.  If you want to qualify for the Boston Marathon time goals are key, however otherwise enjoy the journey knowing you did all you could in training to do your best!


Over the last 12 yrs. since I started this endurance journey to the lose the 40 lbs I gained after swimming in college my best results have come when I know I did all I could to consistently train to prepare both mentally and physically for the challenge. 


I recommend writing down your realistic goals and placing them on a mirror so everyday you have the reminder of your goals to fuel your motivation.  Set mini goals between your big goals to keep you motivated. 


For example many people want to lose weight, however establishing a mini goal of walking 3-5x week for 20-30' is more realistic than losing 20+ lbs.  Weight loss needs to involve lifestyle changes!  Don't fool yourself into thinking you're going to realistically lose more than 1/2-3/4 pound per week and keep it off.  The Biggest Loser is inspiring, but let's be real as some people are juggling many balls with family, work, and other unpredictable life challenges.


I recommend getting active, eating healthier, drinking more water, and sleeping more consistently.  Surround yourself with positive people that motivate you and rid your life of toxic energy draining people!  Connect with reliable training partners and workout first thing in the morning when you can control the time before the day gets chaotic.


What road will you take in 2012?

So, what does it take to turn dreams into reality? 

It takes time management!  I hear so often from people, I don't know how you do it as I don't have time.  Really?  If you figure there are 168 hrs in a week and you subtract 48 for work which includes prep, commuting etc. You now have 120 hrs left and if you subtract 56 hrs for sleep you now have 64 hrs left.  Now subtract 21 hrs weekly for eating, 22 hours for family/TV/social time, you're left with 20 hrs!

The above scenario can be very realistic, however many people waste more time than they realize.  I encourage everyone to set up their life in the 168 hr example above and you might be surprised at how much time you have available to make your dreams your reality in 2012!

Thanks reading and supporting! Remember to enjoy the journey in 2012!




As the sun sets on 2011, what dreams will you make a reality in 2012?


1 comment:

leerless said...

As always, the inspiration you provide is wonderful. I sit here in the upstairs bedroom of my sister Cathy's little house in the middle of the North Dakota Badlands....and know that life changes us and the paths laid out before us are not always the ones we would choose for ourselves. Thank you for being and inspiration to me and to so many others. God Bless us on this eve of the New Year. God Bless you Scotty always