You've set yourself a challenge. You have taken advice and chosen a goal personal to you, something you have always wanted to achieve, and made sure it is challenging but achievable. Now it is time to deliver but, you have a history of letting your training demons take over and wreck your chances of success.
(Merrell)
Don't worry, you are not alone! Everyone, even the greatest performers have demons. The key to success is detailed planning of your challenge; remember, success is not a chance event. Here are my top 11 tips to optimise your chances of success and silence those demons:
1.Believe in yourself: The biggest barrier to achieving success is often ourselves. If you believe you can achieve success that will ensure you commit yourself to the challenge.
2.Measure success: Make sure that the goal is measurable so that you can monitor your progress on a regular basis.
3.Go public: Having established your goal go public and let family, friends and colleagues know what you are aiming to achieve; a challenge shared is a challenge halved!
4.Sign a contract: Making a contract with yourself to deliver success is particularly valuable when you are struggling with belief, commitment and/or motivation. Asking a third party, someone close to you, to witness the contract will raise the importance of the contract and the responsibility on you to deliver success.
5.Team work: Challenges are rarely delivered alone. May sure you surround yourself with a team that supports your vision and has the skills and experiences to help you deliver success.
(Merrell)
6.Get the gear: This isn't just a physical benefit, it's a psychological one too. If you have trust in your gear and feel great it can give you motivation to get out on even the coldest and wettest of days. I swear by my Merrell All Out Crush running shoes.
7.Time is of the essence: Big challenges don't have to cost a lot of money but the will almost certainly require a lot of time. Make sure you have the resources to deliver success (time, money, equipment etc.) before you embark on your challenge
8.You can't eat the elephant all in one bite! The key to delivering success is to dissect the challenge into a number of smaller steps (short-term goals) which together lead to the delivery of your goal.
(Merrell)
9.Leave no stone unturned: Success is multi-factorial requiring the optimisation of a range of performance variables simultaneously. Construct a plan to optimise each of the areas required to deliver success.
10.Risky business: The road to success is rarely smooth. Making sure you have a plan to address any risks should they arise is of key importance. The more detailed the plan the greater your chances of success.
11.Celebrate success: When you achieve a short-term goal make sure to smell the roses. The more roses you smell; the bigger the bouquet at the end!
Greg is a Merrell UK ambassador.