Enthusiasm. This is one of my number one obstacles. I get all excited about something and I decide I want to do it but I don’t formulate a plan. I start doing that something but then I soon get distracted by another something that comes up, and I forget about plan A and start plan B… Until something else grabs my attention and then I move on. Like a kid in a candy store. This happens a lot in crossfit. There are SO MANY things you can work on, so you focus your attention on one but then you do a workout and find another weakness. So you switch your plan to focus on that.

We are spinning our wheels and not going anywhere.

Undisciplined Enthusiasm.

Don’t get me wrong. Being excited about something is great. But when you get excited and start working on a new project, or working on a new skill and then never take it through to completion you never really get the reward for the hard work. You may make some gains but they are unfocused. Or even worse you have a bunch of ideas or projects that you started but never finished and you feel like a failure… Sound familiar?

It’s time to break that habit. How are we going to do it?

1) Pick a goal

Something you want to accomplish. A skill. A project. It could be something you have been putting off for a long time. I know you crossfitters have a list of them. Write it down. NOW.

2) Formulate a plan

How are you going to reach that goal? Schedule time to work on it. Make a plan. If you don’t know how, then do your research. Hire a trainer, a nutrionist, a financial planner… Whatever your goal is. Break it up into small chunks/phases, progressions, each with a start and a finish. Only start the next phase once you have completed the previous one.

3) Focus your attention

Each step needs focus. Like little mini steps to your big goal. If your big goal is to do a freestanding handstand pushup there are many steps to get from A to Z. Focus on one at a time. Don’t get too enthusiastic and skip steps.

4) Be Realistic

Don’t set yourself out for failure from the get go. Give yourself a reward for every stage completed. Make the timeline and the work realistic and acheivable. Again, if you are unsure, consult a professional to look at your plan to see if it is realistic.

5) Set a deadline 

Set a long term completion date as well as mini check points along the way. Do not change your focus until the deadline. At that point you can re-evaluate your plan. An example would be learning a handstand pushup or increasing your back squat. There are distinct phases that you need to complete every 4 weeks/ 8 weeks.

6) Limit your focus

Do not stop EVERYTHING else that you are doing but make sure you do not get lured by new ideas until you reach your final deadline. Sometimes we get bored and we get excited by something more shiny and pretty. DON’T DO IT. Stay focused on your goal

7) Reward completion

Won’t it be nice to just finish something for once? Or learn a new skill that you have been waivering on for years. Each completed phase is a mini reward and finally finishing something a reward in itself.

It’s time to learn something new, or change something about yourself that you have wanted to do for a long time. I know what I want to do and I am formulating the plan. Give yourself a deadline for setting up your plan because sometimes we just lose focus in the planning stages. And now get going with your new task!

Get excited but KEEP IT FOCUSED!

“No one has a problem with the first mile of a journey. Even an infant could do fine for a while. But it isn’t the start that matters. It’s the finish line.”   – Julien Smith, The Flinch