Success is Stamina

To Win Means to Keep Playing

By Tiffany K. Gust, MS

Goal setting turns wanting something into creating a pathway to get there. However, a lifelong dream can often get stuck at the same point in the process every time you set out to accomplish it. Thinking of your goals as experiments is key. During this process, we can observe what is working and build from there to bring you one step closer to success. It’s time to create step-by-step goals that will foster a growth mindset rather than one that is fixed.

In a growth mindset, you believe that your most basic abilities can be developed into skills that will help you achieve your life goals. A growth mindset fosters a love of learning and builds resilience to try again and again knowing that the word FAIL is merely an acronym for:

This type of mindset leads to great accomplishments with less stress along the way. Pinpointing what you are ready to pursue and learning to change the mindset will help you avoid the pitfall of “all or nothing” thinking, which typically leads to quitting.

The stamina needed to continue forward with the learning process will pay off in the long run. By tweaking your goal and moving forward with your experiment, you will feel the confidence needed to stay the course.

Using the SMART Goal framework will help you become very clear on what you want to achieve. Clear and reachable goals should be:

• Specific (simple, sensible, significant).

• Measurable (meaningful, motivating).

• Achievable (attainable).

• Relevant (reasonable, realistic, resourced, results-based).

• Time bound (time-based, timelimited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).

Once you’ve identified your vision, you can begin to create smart, positively worded goals that will be your compass for guiding your journey each step of the way. Here’s what to keep in mind:

Speak “As If.”

Use phrases such as “I am” and “I will” when writing your goals.

Set a Time frame.

Test out this new habit with a reasonable chunk of time.

“Think of your goal as an experiment and adjust based on what you are learning along the way,” said Tiffany Gust, a certified health and wellness coach and exercise physiologist for Intermountain Healthcare in the Live Well Center at St. George Regional Hospital. “Focusing on what is working and what isn’t working can bring you closer to what you want to accomplish.”

Four Day Rule

Implement a new skill four days at a time. This is just long enough to begin feeling like the habit is status quo while not so lofty as to become overwhelming. After four days, you can assess whether the task was attainable or too hard.

Break It Down

If the goal was too hard to complete for four consecutive days, you’re likely to encounter issues in the long run. A growth mindset doesn’t get discouraged at this point. Rather, assess how you can break down this portion of the goal into smaller steps. Your end goal is only attainable if you’re willing and able to follow through on the smaller, day-to-day steps that get you there.

Order of Operations

If you’re still struggling to follow through even after breaking it down, you may need to take a step back and conjure some curiosity around other areas of your life that need to shift in order for your end goal to become attainable.

“If your goal is to work out first thing in the morning but you struggle day after day to get up with the earlier alarm, you may need to first focus on getting to bed earlier,” explained Gust. “This alone might be a process of baby stepping your bedtime back by fifteen-minute intervals, four days at a time, until your new normal bedtime gives you enough sleep to finally have a fighting chance of waking up at 6:00 a.m.”

No matter how many “failed” attempts you’ve made, your dreams are worth achieving. Continue experimenting; every time you try, you are learning. It’s what you do with the experiment that counts. Begin to build the kind of mindset that spurs you on even in the toughest of times, knowing that each effort is fostering your growth, building your wisdom, and helping you become the best version of yourself. It’s all about the progress you are making that counts. Remember, it takes stamina to bring about success, so quit quitting on yourself and believe that you are worth the dreams you have created.