I Crossed The Finish Line... Now What?

When we set goals for ourselves, we spend so much time looking for that finish line to appear. We spend minutes, hours, days waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel… And then it flies by. Be it graduating from college, finishing a big project at work, traveling cross country in a van, or in my case, competing in an NPC competition. As I was training, people would ask me why I was doing it, or what my end goal was. I have various reasons on why I chose to compete, but as for my end goal… What do you mean what is my end goal? What is your end goal? My point that I’m trying to get to is that once we cross one finish line, I think it is crucial to at least outline where the next one might lead you. My next one… Was brunch.

            I’m serious when I say that. I am a HUGE breakfast person. There is a place down where I live where there is brunch on the weekends buffet style… Bottomless food and mimosas for super cheap. In other words, it’s like heaven. As soon as I got home from church the Sunday after my show I was headed for brunch and nothing was going to stop me. That is, until I ate and drank myself into a food coma (exactly what my nutrition coach told me NOT to do), and spent the remainder of the day feeling as though my insides were trying to turn outward.

            Now that that is over, what are my plans? My coaches wanted to know, my family, my friends, but most importantly – me. I want you all to realize the importance of knowing what your own, individual, self-motivated, goals are. I had set all of my energy on competing. My friends, my job, regrettably even school and family dinners were set on the back burner because I was essentially dealing with an over flowing plate the entire duration of training. Once things got a little quieter, I took some time for self reflection.

            After reaching that finish line that seemed so far away, self-reflection is crucial. I recommend giving yourself time to answer these questions:

1.     What affairs do I need to put in order before I set any new goals?

2.     What are some things I have wanted to accomplish for a long time?

3.     Do I have the necessary tools to start heading towards these accomplishments? If not, how do I attain them?

4.     Think BABY STEPS. You have to crawl before you can walk (unless you are my niece who is totally uninterested in anything that has to do with crawling… She get’s it from her auntie ;))

5.     Will my new goals cause me to backslide from my last huge accomplishment?

6.     Do I have the support that I need, and can I return the favor?

7.     Am I too busy setting goals that I am forgetting to have fun?

We all get so caught up smashing deadline after deadline that oftentimes we forget to have fun. It’s summertime, the weather is beautiful outside, and if nothing else, take a 15 minute breather to enjoy the scenery. Make a lunch date, sleep in with your significant other, spend 45 minutes catching some rays, call your parents.

Stay tuned for my next blog post: Thin Culture.