How to Execute Your Goals? Be A Bridezilla
What do you think about engaged couples who haven't set a date...
like, for years?
Here's the story I come up with: they don't actually want to get married.
I've never been engaged so maybe I'm not clear on the technical ins & outs, but to quote the great philosopher, Harry from When Harry Met Sally:
"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
For most enthused couples this means setting a date.
For all last year I ran, biked or swam 6 of 7 days each week (Yes. This is marginally psycho. I agree). I was a gluten-free, alcohol-free, histamine-free, soon-to-be friend-free vegetarian triathlete. But since before New Year, I've backslid in my health goals. In fact, I am actively avoiding swim practice to write this article.
Since competing in my last triathlon this fall, I've let things go... skip a swim practice here, stay up watching Queer Eye so I'm too tired to get in a good long ride there, eat like a trash monster and instead get things done at work!
Why? I'm scared! I hate the pain. I can't shake how my body completely shut down before the last triathlon and then I forced myself to swim half a mile, bike 17 and run 6 powered by sugar, caffeine and adrenaline. After that triumph, my body crashed again & it took 4 listless naps to muster the energy to eat 3 chicken fingers and drink a beer that day. Yes, finishing is one of the proudest moments of my life but it was also terrible!!!
Despite this, I can't take the guilt and literal physical pain anymore so I forced the issue of eating better, getting on a better sleep schedule & helping my body out by working out the only way I know how.
Friends, I made like a Bridezilla and set a freakin' date.
I forced the issue by investing money, telling other tri friends I'm in, backing myself into a corner: NOW. I. HAVE. TO. TRAIN. My next triathlon is this May - it will be my 4th.
Same same with bringing workshops and talks into my business. Last year, I knew this was something I wanted so I thought: 'well, I guess I better practice.' To me, that meant doing my first workshop, warts and all.
So I forced a freakin' date.
I decided the safest way to do it was to make it my birthday party (people HAVE to come your birthday party, right?) So I sent out an invitation. I was on the hook. I. HAD. TO. EXECUTE.
Of course I had cold feet. Of course, I almost chickened out at the proverbial altar. But I didn't. This year, I'm getting paid to deliver several workshops on personal brand storytelling.
Because I realized what I want to spend the rest of my life doing (or at least what I think it could be), and am very in touch with my mortality, I decided I needed to start as soon as possible. I made that real by setting a date that forced me to execute.
I bridezilla'd my way to the things I want. And I promise, at times, I even enjoyed the process and the results!
What about you?
What do you really want to do, try, achieve, experience?
Why not set a date and see what happens?
I want to know -- what's one thing that if you set a date, you'd be forced to execute? What's holding you back?
Curious to learn more?
I offer free 15 minute chats to get to know each other better.