WALK THIS WAY walk this way by ANEL OOSTHUIZEN
New Year , Same ( But Better ) Me
The double 20 year is now over , and for most it seemed almost like a sigh of relief when the clock struck midnight . It ’ s a new year for everyone , and I am sure for many of us we hope that it is , for the most part , a better year than the last one .
Over the past few weeks , I ’ ve been chatting to a few people and seeing a lot of social media posts stating the same things as the year before . And the year before that … and even the year before that : New year , new me ! Now I am all for new beginnings , and I ’ m always working on ways to better myself , or finding new ways to motivate myself , but I always question the timing of New Year resolutions and goalsetting .
Why do we have to wait for a whole year to be over to start reaching for our goals ? Why not any other day ? Why not right now ? Why not take the bull by the horns and face your giants today ? Instead of putting them off till when you think you ’ ll have more energy , or more motivation .
In my mind , when I set goals throughout the year , I set them on my own terms . There is no pressure from having to wait for a new year , nor do you have the extra challenge of the goals of everyone around you being compared to yours , which all too often leads to you setting unrealistic goals for yourself . When you set your goals on your terms , they tend to be more realistic , and you will feel more in control of them .
I am a huge believer in living in the present , of enjoying and appreciating each moment as it is . Personally , that applies to setting my goals as well . If I wait six months before setting my goals , or waiting to work on them , I invalidate the present moment . The thing is , you create your future every single day .
See Your Goals Through
Chatting about this topic , I think back to when I was a bit younger and I remember how I used to set a few goals on January 1st and then start working on them , with the greatest motivation to give it my 110 % effort and commitment . But fast-forward a few weeks and I was usually tired of it already – I felt burnt out , and I just didn ’ t feel like it anymore . Relatable , right ?
That ’ s why setting realistic goals is so important . Also , another very important aspect for me when it comes to goalsetting is rewarding myself when I reach the little milestones that I set up for myself along the way to my big goal .
Let ’ s face it , it ’ s easy to sit with a pen and paper and start jotting a few goals down , but when it comes to the execution of the goals , that is where the tough part starts . A lot of the goals we set are not something that we can just achieve in a matter of a few weeks , so keeping yourself motivated and finding small victories leading up to reaching your bigger goals are thus very important .
Note to Self
When setting goals for yourself , write them down , and then hold yourself accountable . I know this may sound silly , but believe me , it is worth it ! A few months back I was organising and sorting out a few of my cupboards , and a note fell out of one of my Bibles , with the date 23 October 2013 written on it . I opened it up and inside was a promise I wrote to myself that I would qualify for the race walking event at the 2016 Olympics . I know I was a few years late in opening and rereading that note , but that feeling of accomplishment after I saw it , felt the same as the day I achieved it !
At the moment , it ’ s quite difficult to set big goals in terms of athletics in general , let alone race walking specifically , as we don ’ t know what the year holds . Notably , we don ’ t know if the postponed 2020 Olympics will actually take place in 2021 after all , due to the COVID pandemic , but going from 2020 to 2021 , I will keep doing what I started in 2020 , trying out new things and going on lots of adventures . Of course , we all hope that this year will end up bringing us many great , positive , memorable things … because we can all do with a whole lot of those !
So write your goals down , tick them off after you ’ ve achieved them , reward yourself after each accomplishment , and always remind yourself of what you want . That way you will get to know the true , strong and goalsetting you ! And I hope 2021 be your year of staying motivated right through and reaching those goals !
About the Author
Race Walker Anel Oosthuizen is a multiple SA Champion and Record Holder , and represented SA in the women ’ s 20km at the 2016 Rio Olympics .
Images : Courtesy Anel Oosthuizen
Get out of your comfort zone with new adventures …
Achieving new goals is even better if done with the special people in your life !
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