How goal setting will unlock your motivation

By Joe Wicks

I've swam, cycled and ran more in the past 6 weeks than I have in the past 6 years.

Why? One simple answer: I've set myself a goal where I'm doing something totally new. Something I've never attempted before.

I wasn't looking for a challenge. A friend randomly sent me a link to a local sprint triathlon in Surrey (750m swim, 20km cycle, 5km run). I hadn't been eating very well for a couple of weeks and was feeling a bit flat that day so something told me to just go for it. I needed to shake things up and get myself back in a positive momentum. I signed up in that moment with 6 weeks to race day.

The shift in my motivation since then has been remarkable. I've found a new sense of drive and purpose with my training. I'm training with a focus and a date in the diary. I'm training with a clear objective and I can see myself getting fitter, faster and stronger across all 3 disciplines. I've also started to learn a new skill which is open water swimming – there is something really fun and empowering about learning a new skill whatever age you are.

I've found that having a plan to follow and a training schedule has given me a structure that I've never really had before. I usually train for my mood, my mental health, my energy and if I'm being really honest, my body image. But now I'm training for performance and it's really fired me up. I'm seeing myself run a faster min/km pace, increase my power output on the bike, and glide through the water better with each swim session.

If you are someone who struggles with motivation or find that you lose focus at certain points of the year, I really think setting some kind of challenge in the diary could unlock something really positive for you.

It doesn't have to be an impossibly hard goal either for it to be beneficial. You could set yourself the goal of completing 3 workouts a week for 8 weeks or set a date to complete your first 5km park run in 12 weeks' time.

Regardless of how big or small the goal is, I really do believe having something to work towards is extremely important for all humans. We can't just rely on the motivation of fat loss and inches lost to keep us going all year round. It's not enough.

There is a power in sharing your goals with others, too. Tell your partner, tell your friends and work colleagues or anyone who will listen. This makes your goals real and gives you a level of accountability which, in turn, increases your motivation.

Goals give us purpose and meaning and allow us to pull some extra motivation from somewhere within.

So ask yourself, right now, today: What is my goal? What would I love to achieve before this year is out and put it in the diary?

Commit to that goal and ride the inevitable wave of motivation it will bring.

Good luck and remember, you can achieve way more than your mind will sometimes tell you.

Joe x