via this week’s Adapt newsletter…
The crazy thing about life is just that – It can be crazy. When we’re setting goals I think we’d prefer that everything happened according to our plans. Eg. I have a goal. I work towards achieving that goal. Badda-bing-badda-boom. Success. Yay! But life’s not like that. One day you’re up and everything’s going according to plan and the next day you’re sick as a dog, your plans have disintegrated and all you want to do is curl up into a ball and die (ok so maybe not die – eat a bucket of ice-cream – whatever…)
When you set goals you need to be aware that sometimes things can come up that will affect you achieving them. Say you’ve got a goal to become financially independent 2 years from now but you just had an unforeseen expense dumped in your lap and it’s now going to take you 2 years to pay that debt off alone. Perhaps you had a goal to compete at an upcoming weightlifting comp but just got struck down with the flu and it looks like you probably won’t be ready? I think you can see what I’m saying here? Life happens.
It’s all well and good to write down your goals, share them with others and track your progress but sometimes life throws you a curve ball and it’s what you do (with that curve ball) that defines whether or not you’ll be successful in achieving your goals or sticking to the path you’ve chosen to tread.
Flying a plane
Please excuse my extremely average ‘airplane’ analogy but stay with me on this one guys…
When a pilot takes off in a plane they generally have an end destination (or goal) in mind – Say they’re travelling from Canberra to Brisbane. They’ll take off from Canberra Airport and set off in a specific direction with an end goal of reaching Brisbane Airport.
This goal is Specific (Go to Brisbane) its Measurable (They’ll know if they’ve made it – eg. because they’re in Brisbane) its Achievable (They’ve done it thousands of times before) and there are some actionable steps (eg. 1 fuel up, 2 pre flight checks, 3 take off, 4 gear up, 5 flight, 6 gear down, 7 touch down, etc.) OK so I’m not a pilot and I have know idea but you could safely assume there’s some action steps in there… It’s Relevant – eg. It’s their job to fly and people are paying for them to do that; and finally, it’s Time Bound (It’s normally takes about 1.5 hours) depending on the weather conditions…
Now it’d all be well and good if all they had to do was set the destination in their plane computer, set things to autopilot, kick back, relax and let life take it’s course but the reality is that mother nature can have other plans. Things like low visibility, high winds, lightning storms, frost and snow can so on can have a significant impact on the outcome of the flight. The weather can have a significant impact before the plane even taken off. Even once you’re in the air, constant adjustments need to be made to ensure they make it to the intended destination.
Shitty Shoulders and my goal to make it to the Regionals next year…
For anyone that doesn’t know I’ve been nursing a bit of tendonitis in both my shoulders over the last couple of months. I’ve got next to no power output and a constant dull ache that flairs up whenever I hit low bar back squats. Recently it’s gotten so painful that it’s even started to affect my sleep. I’ve been getting regular treatment from the crew at Enhance and we’ve been experimenting with a number of different treatments to see if we can sort things out…
Some of you guys would probably also know that I have a goal to make it to the Aus/NZ CF Regionals (Feb-May 2013) next year. This means that I really need to have my strength, technique and engine dialed in and running at optimum levels before the start of the Open in February next year. I need to be able to do well enough to make it to the top 60 people in the region. I also have a number of other physical/training goals that include: bodyweight OH squat for 10 reps (May 2013), body weight snatch (May 2013) If things are tracking well these goals should be achievable but for the time being, things aren’t tracking that well at all…
Now if my shoulders are feeling like crap at the moment (and they really are), there’s’ a couple of things that I should probably consider:
Do I give my shoulders a rest – by taking a break from any OH/press/push/aggravating movements and see if things settle down; or
Ask myself the question whether my goal of making to next years Regionals is Achievable? And if not, decide what I should be working towards -> What’s my Plan B?
Now I still think I’ve got some time for things to come good because I’m using this current ‘down time’ to focus on strengthening my upper back, core and posterior chain, as well as progressing my high bar back squat and front squat numbers. I can still do deads, full cleans and power cleans. I can still run and row so I can also work at building my (cardio) engine. If the time off (up to 6 weeks) helps my shoulders then I’d consider that things are still on track.
If things still haven’t improved after a couple of months off then I might consider going for option 2 – Eg. Reviewing whether or not my goal is in fact achievable?! And while that hurts my heart, this is just another part of my journey to becoming a stronger, fitter and healthier version of the person I am right now. “2 steps forward and 1 step back…” It’s all part of the process yeah?! Train. Adapt. Grow.
I guess what I’m trying to say is this: Life happens and there are going to be things that pop up from time to time that will impact you and your ability to achieve the goals that you’ve set. What I’m talking about goes way beyond training: You’ll get thrown curveballs in any area of your life whether that be relationships, your finances, your career, your education, your personal development, or yes, your health & wellbeing, etc. and when something does try and knock you off course the question is this: Are you agile enough to role with the punches and change your game plan up on the fly if you have to?!
When life throws you a curve ball. Take it on the chin; Take a look at where you’re at. Be thankful of what you’ve got (or can do) Adjust your direction (if you need to) and get on with it (your life, journey, goal, etc.)…
–
Ben
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