Throughout the course of my life, I’ve spent a lot of time working towards achieving a goal or overcoming an obstacle.
The stoke of accomplishment is incredible when I reach one of my goals! But the process can be a little discouraging sometimes and it can be hard to stay motivated to keep at it.
Since so many people are working hard on their New Year’s Resolutions right now, I thought I’d share a couple tips to help you stay strong and achieve your goals in 2023!
1. Be Prepared for Hard Moments
Not every moment of the journey is going to be easy or enjoyable. It’s going to be hard work at times!
You might have backwards steps or unexpected curveballs come your way. Expect them to come, because they will, and don’t be discouraged from continuing to work towards your goal!
For example, surfing Jaws was a dream I had been working towards for years.
When the day finally came to give it a shot, I was so excited to be on the brink of achieving it! But, I knew that there was some risk involved and that it might not all be smooth sailing, so to say. I did a lot of prepping and training for the worst-case scenarios of being held under by a gnarly wave or taking an awful wipeout. I knew where I was supposed to be on the wave to avoid wipeouts, what to do if I did wipeout and how to hold my breath for a long time.
I unfortunately did get caught in a huge set as I was trying to paddle back out at one point – I was held under by a number of waves in a row! There were definitely some scary moments, but I chose to stay calm and tell myself “you’re prepared for this and you know what to do”. I got through the set and caught some of the most AMAZING waves of my life! The tough moments were so worth it!
In the same way, you can prepare for the trials that might come and handle them with grace and strength when they arise.
Check out my documentary, UNSTOPPABLE, to see my experience at Jaws up close!
2. Prioritize Passion
The stronger the motivation, the passion or the love behind what you’re working towards, the more likely you are to keep chipping away at it.
It’s easy to get burned out in the day-to-day discipline of staying focused on your goal. But if your goal is centered around something that you’re passionate about and genuinely love doing, it will be easier for you to stick with it.
Many of my goals center around surfing, like improving my backside barrel-riding or airs. My love for surfing fuels me to keep working towards my goals and achieve them faster!
3. Find Community
Our drive to reach our goals has to come internally from ourselves at the end of the day. However, when the hard moments come, it’s so helpful to have an encouraging voice in our life to keep pushing us forward.
Who is in your life that can hold you accountable? Who is in your life that can encourage you?
For me, that’s Adam! He is my rock, my encouragement and my support system as I chase so many of my dreams. He’s with me on the good and the bad days and continues to remind me of the importance of what I’m pursuing.
Find a friend, mentor, family member or coworker, who can walk through the process with you and cheer you on!
I encourage you today to work towards overcoming your obstacles and achieving your goals in the best way possible this year! You can do it!
