Gearing up for the 365 Challenge? Excited about all the amazing things you’re going to accomplish along the way? GOOD! GREAT! GRAND! WONDERFUL!
BUT…!
Not all goals are created equal.
At some point, you’re going to have to make a choice, maybe two, about what’s most important to you, out of all the important goals you’ve come up with. Why, you ask? Because you can’t do it all, because Rome wasn’t built in a day, because a couple big huge successes are better than a handful of small little ones. Here’s how you do this. Simply rank your goals from one to one hundred. Be 1000% confident in your list and order. Take your time deciding. And once that’s done, use those rankings as a filter for your decision-making and make sure when torn between one good decision or another, you prioritize the one that will best serve your highest ranking goal for the Challenge.
An example: you’re setting out to say “yes” more to your friends when they invite you out because you generally opt to wear pajamas from 5:00 pm on Friday until 6:00 am on Monday. This is your #IWill. You know this is a big deal for you and you really want to change this part of your life. Simultaneously, you’re trying your best to eat healthy because all in all, you know it’s a good thing to do even though you’re pretty good about your food intake already. So, now, Friday night rolls around and you get a text from your friend asking you to meet at Freehouse for a pint and some delicious chicken wings. Ah, the dilemma – say “yes” and eat a little off-track for the first time in the challenge, or say “no” and maintain your already solid nutritional track record while falling short on a big goal you’ve set for yourself.
Based on your priorities why not say “yes” and free your inner social butterfly? Why not head to Freehouse for a burger sans bun? Isn’t that middle ground, in which you’ve successfully moved the needle on your high priority goal a great compromise, even if you end up eating something just a hair off track one night this week? I think it is.
In no way is this advice meant to represent some sort of built-in excuse this challenge. I’m not condoning constant bad behavior across the board, so long as it mirrors good behavior in one or two other areas. What I am saying is that the 365 Challenge is about putting some pressure on yourself to be better and live a healthier life and this might mean you have to make some tough decisions along the way. Now you know how.
Good luck 365 Challengers! From all the staff at Alchemy, we’ve got you, and you’ve got this!
Tyler Quinn is a coach and founder of Alchemy and Union Fitness. In his spare he enjoys reading, gun-slinging, and jiu-jitsu.
