As we set goals for a New Year (aka 2018), we often think we have to have several different goals. And in doing that, we tend to get discouraged because it’s hard to keep them prioritized and so we vacillate between them and in the end, most of them never get achieved at all. I propose a different approach would be to look at setting one BIG Goal/Dream that can transcend many different areas and can become a foundational goal that easily allows for many other goals can be built on it through the year.
In my case for 2018, it going to be “Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim 2 Rim (R2R) in one day in late September.” A simply stated goal that will have a ripple effect on many different areas in my life including: Sleep, Health, Weight Loss, Meditation, Focus. And here are some examples of how this goal can affect these different areas.
Sleep – doing a hike like this with the longer training hikes, will require me to sleep more each night. Health – I’ll get in better overall health as I become more fit with my training hikes. Weight Loss. I’m going to take two ten-pound bags of potatoes and put them next to my hiking gear with the sign that says. “Al, do you really want to carry this extra weight 9.6 miles and up 4,500 feet out of the Grand Canyon.” [If that isn’t a visual reminder, I don’t know what is.] Meditation – I’ll be the first person to tell you I like to do hikes with others, but nothing clears your head like going out by yourself for a 6 to 8 mile hike with about 2,000 feet elevation gain. Focus – when you have that one main goal for the year, it becomes easier to stay focused on it. And a main goal like this also can cut across your Hiking, Personal, and Professional life.
With hiking, there are going to be longer (20+ miles in 10 to 12 hour) training hikes that will need to be done over the summer. It will be a great way to explore the Ring the Peak and other trails around Pikes Peak and provide the opportunity for others to do these hikes with me, even if they are not doing the R2R hike.
In our personal life, a goal like this will have a lasting impact on your overall health. Sleep, Weight Loss, Mediation; Eating better; all important things that come from having this one BIG goal, but not something we need to think about as separate goals. They become an automatic part of the larger goal.
There is also the impact to our professional life. It’s developing the discipline that comes with having BIG Goals and staying focused on them during the course of the year. And as you succeed in that goal, it gives you the confidence to take on major goals at work.
What can be that one Big Goal/Dream you have for 2018? It doesn’t have to be doing the Grand Canyon R2R in one day, but it can still be BIG!!! Think about and visualize what it will be like in 10 to 12 months as you look back at 2018 and say: “Wow, I did it, I got ______ done and it impacted my life in these _____ specific ways.” What is that ONE THING above EVERTHING else you want to do in 2018? Have you put it on paper? Have you shared it with others? Do you have a time frame to get it done? What resources do you need to accomplish it? Who is going to help you do it? Are you willing to share it in response to this post?
Al Andersen 