Wednesday, December 31, 2014
REFLECTIONS ON REACHING MY YEAR LONG WORKOUT GOAL – WHAT I HAVE LEARNED! I am writing this to share some lessons I have learned in this year long journey to greater health. I have posted my progress on social media as a way of trying to help and inspire others to reach their own personal goals. Sometimes I have feared that my continual posts would be perceived as “bragging” or even narcissistic – but my real motivation has always been to use my life and my journey to say – “IF I CAN DO THIS – ANYONE CAN!” It is my prayer that in some small way my life and my commitment will help you to achieve your goals in 2015. 1. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT SETTING A GOAL IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! There is something about setting a specific goal that helps focus your efforts and keep you on track. Having this long-term goal gave me something real and tangible to work toward. 2. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT HAVING A GOAL IS IMPORTANT BUT THE REASON BEHIND THE GOAL IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT. My goal to hit the gym everyday in 2014 was a great goal, but that wasn’t what kept me motivated over the long haul. The motivation behind the goal – to become stronger and healthier – is what I kept focusing on. The goal itself was simply a means to a much greater end – that I would have a better quality of life. Someone has once said that in order to achieve great things, we have to have a big “YES” burning inside – a “YES” that causes us to work harder and accomplish things we never thought possible. 3. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT REACHING THIS GOAL WAS MUCH HARDER THAN I FIRST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. When you first set a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) like working out everyday for an entire year - there is an initial rush of enthusiasm and excitement but believe me - it quickly wears off. Emotion can only fuel a goal for very short time – that is when commitment has to kick in. When reaching the goal gets tough and you don’t “FEEL” like doing it anymore – that is when you have to grit your teeth and make yourself do what you don’t want to do (but you know you need to do!!) Looking back, there were many days I wanted to give up and simply quit – but I found the strength to keep going when it got really hard. 4. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT ACHIEVNG A LONG-TERM GOAL CAN ONLY BE ACCOMPLISHED IN BITE SIZED CHUNKS! There are times when a year long goal was incredibly intimidating. With 365 days looming ahead of me – the task was daunting to say the least. I was able to achieve this goal by taking it one day, one week and one month at a time. I have learned that the bigger the goal is – the smaller it has to become in order to achieve it. I couldn’t do it when it was a year long – but I could do it when it was one day – one week and one month. And then something miraculous happened – TODAY - all those days, weeks and months added up to one year. And I achieved a huge goal in small bite-sized chunks. 5. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING CAN BECOME AN EXCUSE – IF YOU LET IT! Whenever you set a goal – especially a difficult or challenging one – there will be times when anything and everything can become an excuse as to why you CAN’T possibly accomplish the goal you have set. Having struggled with a spinal cord injury (and all the related issues that go with a disability) I could have used my physical limitations as a justification as to why I shouldn’t attempt the goal in the first place or as to why I couldn’t possibly complete it. Yes, with the disability, there were some days that were harder than others – but I determined that I would NEVER use my physical limitations as an excuse. In fact, it was my physical limitations that motivated me to work even harder. Yes, I live everyday in chronic pain and struggle with mobility and balance issues – but I refused to give up. The goal became my focus and not my problems.
6. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT ACCOMPLISHING YOUR GOAL (WHATEVER IT IS) CAN BE EXTREMELY REWARDING! There is a sense of pride that can only come from accomplishment. I believe that the feeling of accomplishment that comes from a job well done, from achieving a goal and from doing your best is a God-given gift. I think we can be and should be proud of what we have done – not in a prideful, egotistical or narcissistic way – but with the good feelings of success. This is a joy that wells up deep within you when you have done something you thought you couldn’t do. 7. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT WE CAN’T DO THIS ON OUR OWN – WE NEED THE HELP OF GOD AND OTHERS TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS IN LIFE! When I first made the decision to commit to 365 consecutive workouts, I knew I could never do this on my own. Therefore, I committed this goal to the Lord and DAILY asked for His strength to help me accomplish this. I am reminded of the words of Paul where he said, “I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVE ME THE STRENGTH”. Even though I do feel a sense of pride and accomplishment, I know that it is only because of Christ and His strength that I was able to do this. Also I had a lot of people who helped me, encouraged me and kept me accountable. One of the reasons I posted my progress was to hold myself accountable to a lot of people. I had people ask me all during the year about this goal and how I was doing with it. I think that “going public” with this commitment enable me to not only inspire others but to receive a lot of support along the way. 8. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT ONCE YOU REACH YOUR GOAL – YOU NEED TO SET ANOTHER ONE IMMEDIATELY! I have had so many people ask me- “Once you reach your goal, what then?” Well, the answer to that question is this: I’M GOING TO START ALL OVER ON JANUARY 1, 2015 AND DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN! As I said at the beginning of this BLOG post, I hope that my year long journey will help to inspire others to reach their goals. I also hope these 8 lessons will help many people understand goals and how best to reach them. Thanks again to all of you for your ongoing love and support.
Chuck Bernal, Lead Pastor LifePointe Church 120 S. Crowley Road, Crowley, TX 76036
http://pointe.us/