by Taylor Hastings

Don’t focus on the goal

As the CrossFit Regionals arrive and pass I have been thinking a lot about my goals inside and outside of the gym, especially after I listened to some words from Coach Ben Bergeron. I came to the realization that goals I set for myself in the past have turned out only to be dreams because of the EFFORT I put forth trying to get there. The best example of this was my goal to be the starting linebacker for my college football team. I had this big, edgy goal to be a starter but ended up only having a special teams role never really seeing the field through the helmet of a linebacker.

Why did this obtainable goal halt so much of my potential as a football player?

Currently being a part of a group of individuals led by a leader who preaches consistently putting forth great EFFORT each day, and listening to Ben Bergeron’s belief on goals has changed my life inside and outside of the gym.

Here’s what I have taken away from these two influences…

• “A goal is a result for which you put forth EFFORT. Instead of focusing on the results focus on the EFFORT!”
• If an individual’s goal is to obtain three strict pull-ups in a month the goal should be in the EFFORT to practice pull-up progressions and volume each week.
• How you do anything is how you do everything.
• Even if you are working on the smallest piece of the puzzle your EFFORT needs to be maximized to create healthy habits within your entire life.
• You should feel uncomfortable frequently through your journey towards the goal.
• Some days the motivation will not be there, but the work still needs to be completed with the same EFFORT you have on good days.
• Becoming best friends with weaknesses will push you towards success much quicker than doing a lot of the things you are good at and enjoy.
• Love the process, and don’t let the highs get too high or the lows get to low.

I never became a starting linebacker because I only dreamt of that goal. My potential was limited because I did not understand that the success is in the EFFORT each and every day. I tricked myself into believing I was training hard each day when I could have been putting forth better EFFORT, I did not make the right sacrifices, and I ignored putting time into the skill of being a starting linebacker for a top twenty-five nationally recognized football program because it was a big weakness.

Whether you have goals inside or outside of the gym what matters most is the EFFORT put forth, and enjoying the process. When a goal is reached that beautiful moment will be momentary so don’t wait to enjoy what you are doing until after that short moment passes. Use each day to learn, grow, and be present in the moment because after the chalk dust settles you will not only remember the moment you achieved that goal but more so the journey it took to get there.