Are you fulfilled or do you want more?
It is very easy to focus on what you can’t do and what obstacles are in your way; we as humans are often designed to take the easy option? BUT – does that leave you feeling fulfilled or are you content with everything as they are?
I recently had a conversation with my mother-in-law about her neighbour who passed away earlier this year aged 90. She never had a ’job’ but raised four children, and had several grandchildren. I never met her, so can’t say what she thought or felt, but everyone around her said that she lived a very contented life.
This is where my own M-in-law and I differ greatly. She thinks of this as an inspiration – to live calmly and quietly and enjoying the simple things without putting your body or mind under too much stress. Where as I want to pack as much as I can into my life, I want to see the world, make a difference to others, and do as many exciting things in as I can (amidst the dull adulting bits).
Everyone is different and not everyone has big goals, dreams or plans, some feel completely overwhelmed at the thought of setting a goal some, or even all, of the time, while others need something to work towards to give them a reason to get out of bed.
Should we be SMART about our goals?
Dr. Andy Cope of The Art of Brilliance says we should sack off SMART goals and focus on HUGGs (Huge Unbelievably Great Goals) to make us live our best life every day. Ditching the ‘Achievable’ and ‘Realistic’ parts in favour reaching for the stars! Breaking the plan down into small steps before being brave enough to make a start!
This is all very well if you have the headspace and health to dream big of course. I think ‘Realistic’ does have to play a part sometimes – as Liz says in our Goal setting video, if you are currently jumping 60cm on a four year old horse, it would be unrealistic to set a goal of jumping around Badminton 5* this year. But that might be a realistic long term HUGG goal for the right horse and rider combination.
Are you going to be eaten by a bear?
Our prehistoric brain will always try to keep us safe by telling us the big scary things are too big and scary – a lot of the time it boils down to how much you want something and how hard you are willing to work to achieve them.
At a physio appointment about my arthritic hip a few months ago, I was told that if I was happy to stick to gentle walks and exercise then there was no need to bother changing anything in my life, but if I wanted to run or ride again then I’d have to put some work in. I guess that could have gone two ways. I’m sure you can figure out which path I am on (all be it without any HUGGs at the moment)!
The comment still does rankle me though – in a society where obesity is at alarming levels and we are all living a more sedentary lifestyle, surely we should be being encouraged at all costs to do whatever we can to improve our health and fitness.
But what can you do?
This brings me back to the question – what can you do… Following our recent Focused Equestrian Boot Camp, we asked the riders who took part for some feedback.
This comment struck a chord with me:
“If I’m honest I ignored the rider fitness section to begin with, thinking I just didn’t have time but then I watched the day two video and thought - actually I can fit that in.”
It is so true – I bet if most of us looked at our screen time on our phones, and made a goal to cut that down by ten minutes we would have ten minutes to do a strength workout or a HIIT.
Making it happen
Another example of making it happen on a slightly bigger scale, in 2014, athlete Jo Pavey won a 10,000m gold medal aged 40 after having a baby eight months before. Obviously, she is an elite athlete and has had a lifetime of training, but for this win, she trained a lot on a treadmill in a cupboard and did her strength sessions while putting the washing on or cooking dinner.
Reading this reminded me of all of the opportunities we have in a day to do something that positively impacts our life. It is very easy to say – I’m too busy, I’m too overwhelmed, there is too much going on. But what can you do?
These things don’t have to be exercise related it might be taking the time to check in with a friend, or making five minutes to actually listen to some music or watch the birds, or spend extra time with your horse, just ‘being’.
Something as simple as watching Lauren’s house workout to see what exercises you could do while doing the house work or waiting for the kettle to boil can make a big impact.
Goal setting
Our Goal setting download is one of our most used resources, and with the addition of a handy video, where EquiTeam coach Liz talks through the questions, it is a great tool to make you think about how you would like your life to go over the next twelve months. Starting with little goals and building up to the big dreams is a great way of breaking down what you can do!
It also includes points to make you realise what obstacles might get in your way – this isn’t to be negative, it is to make sure you are being realistic, by identifying what could go wrong, so you can minimise the hiccups. Whether you go with Dr. Andy’s HUGGs or choose SMART goals – you still need to make a plan to achieve them!
A goal without a plan is just a dream!
Waking up every single day with a can do attitude is perhaps a stretch for a lot of people, but by thinking about one thing that you can do today rather than the multiple things in your way might just tip the balance for a more positive life!
Lou x
