Are you playing the long game?
We all know the yarn about goals being THE way forward when it comes to achieving what you want. I’m gonna call BS on that 😬
It’s not the whole story.
Goals can be great….
As long as you know how they fit into your long game. Otherwise my personal and professional experience tells me that you’re far more likely to find yourself stuck in short game mode, often an “all or nothing” cycle. And that’s not ideal when it comes to looking after our health as there is no longer game in our life than this one.
Just this week I’ve been reminded of exactly why I’ve changed my own views on goals. I used to live the short game life big time, particularly when it came to fitness. Entering events “to keep me motivated”, chasing PB’s on the whiteboard at Crossfit and generally ping ponging through periods of great training and times where I was totally off the wagon.
Last week at CrossFit I got a new PB for my snatch and my squat clean. It was a BIG deal because my previous PB’s had sat unbroken for the best part of the last 5 years. If I still played short game there’s no way I’d have ever even entertained that those numbers would change after all this time. I probably would have given up on Crossfit and moved on to the next shiny thing…..
But I haven’t…and that’s because I have a framework that has helped me set a really strong compass direction first. With that as my base I can create a sustainable system of habits that are always working towards that direction with the achievement of outcome based goals along the way as a byproduct of doing that work.
It’s the same framework that we help our clients to build too.
🛣 A values based approach rather than an outcome based approach 📈
Now I know some of you might be sitting there thinking, but “values feel a bit airy-fairy”, or “am I not giving up on something concrete if I park the outcome I’m hoping to achieve”. I hear ya, I was in your skeptic camp awhile back too.
But hear me out…
Your values are the compass setting that keeps you headed in your chosen direction as you journey through life. The goals you (will still) achieve are the mountains you climb, the rivers you cross and the towns you pass by along your way. In this framework, achieving the goal is not the end of the journey. Instead, you bag that win and take the learnings with you to support what comes next.
Some of my values that help me keep up my exercise routine are:
🛤 Connection - I’m able to be more present with myself and others when I exercise regularly. The ripple effect of that is huge.
🛤 Community - the people I train with are sometimes more of a reason for me to show up than the workout itself
🛤 Athleticism - I want to be fit, strong and capable both for myself and as example for my kids
🛤 Simplicity - regular time blocks in my calendar for the gym make my weekly schedule less complex. I don’t have to wrangle the headspace each week to contemplate where it fits.
But enough about me...how about you?
When you think of your own habits what values would help you play the long game?
If you’re keen to delve a bit deeper, we’ve got 2 FREE resources to help you out:
💻 A recording of our Reset & Reconnect webinar
📑 A PDF download of our values exercise
Head to the Free Resources section on our website to find them.
