With January feeling as though it's come and gone in a flash, I'd like to take the time to write about how you can maintain focus on your goals. With the year just gone, I won't hesitate to say that the vast majority of us are very much lacking motivation and we are all seeking some light at the end of the tunnel. The main thing for an athlete or someone just looking to complete a challenge, is knowing and having a time-scale to work upon. This seems to very much be lacking under current circumstances. So, in this blog I'd like to share my personal tips on staying motivated/ on track to achieve your goals.
Setting small attainable targets
Whilst looking towards a bigger end-goal you may have in mind, to keep yourself constantly progressing, tick off smaller goals along your journey. This will help no end. These goals can be anything you like, be it performance related, skills or psychological. For example, one of my riders who isn't confident in their bike handing, is taking one day a week dedicated to cornering practice. Although this isn't related to physical performance, this will help the rider no end dialling in this skill before lining up on the start line.
Not getting overly focussed on physical performance, keep things fun!
95% of us started sport for enjoyment, right? Don't overlook the fun element when aiming towards improving peak physical condition. I can guarantee if you are enjoying what you are doing you are far more likely to perform as you desire. I can vouch for this first hand, I have always performed far better when I've been enjoying the process. Training can be monotonous sometimes so it's always good to freshen sessions up now and then to keep those positive endorphins flooding your brain. This brings me on to my next point.
Focusing on yourself
FOMO (fear of missing out) is very much real in the world of training, especially with constant exposure to social media. We all see the snippets of people's perfect lives posted on social media or athletes posting all their training on Strava. Consciously or subconsciously we are always going to compare ourselves to others. This can sometimes be a good thing but on the whole it's pretty detrimental to our own self esteem. Going with a cliche quote here 'control the controllable' but it is so true. Concentrating on being the best version of yourself doing what works for you, will always be more beneficial to your performance and wellbeing.
Don't be afraid to have a break
Working on the areas of weakness you wouldn’t normally have chance to
With the season seeming to be pushed ever further away from our foresight. The positive outlook you must take from this is that there is plenty more time to work on any personal weakness you have, whatever these may be. Once again, it can be a great way to keep your training approach fresh and a happy head upon your shoulders to achieve what you set out to do.
I hope that this blog may help you in some way or give you some ideas heading into the 2021 season. I really enjoy looking at the mental performance side of training and learning what makes an athlete tick as I personally neglected this at times. I very much value improving an athlete’s general skill-set, alongside bettering their engine. I hope you have enjoyed reading this impromptu blog, please let me know if you have enjoyed the read and want to hear about more aspects of training in depth.
