If you want to be successful in achieving your goals, you MUST start with one thing:

It’s that time of year again. The New Year. The time to reflect on the past and plan the future. The time when we look in the mirror and tell ourselves that this is the year we’re going to make and ACHIEVE our goals. If you want to be successful in achieving your goals, you MUST start with one thing:

Take 100% Responsibility For Where You Are Today!

What does this mean? You are the sum of all of your choices. No excuses. Just you. Your efforts. No excuses. No one else to blame. Just you.

Your marathon time, 5k time, or mile time is a result of the efforts you did or didn’t do.

Your fitness level is a reflection of your efforts. If you’re not happy where you’re at, it’s not your bosses fault, your spouses fault, your kids fault, etc.

Your choices lead to the results you have in your life- all areas of your life!

The reason taking 100% responsibility is SO important is because the biggest reason we don’t achieve our goals is because we give ourselves excuses.The gym is too crowded. I worked late. It’s too cold outside. I didn’t sleep good last night so I’m too tired to workout. It’s always something else. We blame our circumstances. We blame our work, spouse, children, etc. because it makes us feel better if we don’t achieve our goal because it’s someone else’s or something’s fault when in reality we are in control of our actions and responses.

Taking responsibility means no excuses. It means the only person that is in charge of our success is ourselves. Only you. Only me.

I heard this recently and it stuck with me. A simple formula to help us take responsibility and change the outcome of our decisions.

Formula: Event + Response = Outcome

Example:

·      Goal: Workout everyday for 30 minutes

·      Event: Your kids are up all night and you start the day tired.

·      Response 1: Skip your workout since you’re tired

·      Outcome 1: Missed your workout, feel guilty, blame the kids, easier to skip tomorrow’s workout since you missed your goal.

·      BUT what happens if you change your response to this same event?

·      Response 2: Do your workout anyway, even if you’re tired

·      Outcome 2: Accomplished your goal, feel happy since you stayed on your goal, renewed energy by staying on track, self pride, etc.

You can’t control your circumstances but you CAN control your responses. If you want to achieve your goals this year, take ownership of your actions and control your responses to the circumstances that threaten to get in the way of your goals.

And, when you inevitably make a mistake. Don’t let it derail you. Own your response. Fix it. And keep going! You got this!

Happy Training!