Get S.T.O.K.E.D. For Your Cycling Goals
Like everything in life, it’s a lot simpler to achieve something when you set a goal for yourself and go after it. I mentioned a simple formula for goal achievement in last week’s “Make It Happen Mondays” post: Create a goal, Get excited about it, and Make it Happen….and this week I’m here to tell you how to get STOKED about it.
You’ve all likely heard how goals are supposed to be SMART, right? Yeah, it’s a cute little acronym that tells you to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely in the goals that you set for yourself. Good advice, but sometimes being smart is not enough. We’re cyclists…..and to reach our lofty goals, you need to be STOKED:
Specific – Create a goal that contains as much detail as possible. Know exactly what it is that you’re after…see it…believe….taste it.
Tangible – The definition of tangible is “something material or concrete”. For our purposes we use the word tangible to mean a goal that is believable. If you said that your goal was to win the Tour de France while riding a unicycle…that wouldn’t be too tangible now would it?
Optimistic– When you create a goal that is just out of your reach, you need to completely believe in yourself and know 100% that you are capable of achieving it. Be positive and optimistic, and “don’t let any weeds grow in the garden of your mind”.
Kind – Kindness is a good thing in any situation, but when it comes to goal setting you need to be kind to yourself and let it happen. Don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t happen right away, or if it takes a few more tries than you were planning on. Be kind to yourself and keep at it.
Educated – Sometimes you need to educate yourself in order to create a goal, and to achieve it. Knowledge is Power…..so be sure to know all the facts and what ingredients are required to make it happen.
Determined – You’ve heard of people achieving things through pure will and determination, right? It’s true, determination is a major factor in reaching your end goal. Set your mind to it and don’t let anything or anyone stop you.
Whatever acronym you use, the biggest thing is to simply set some goals for yourself and your cycling. I read a motivational poster a long time ago that spoke about goals, and the message has stayed with me ever since:
The world has a habit of making room for those who know where they’re going
You know, they also say that writing them down and telling other people about them is a great way to make goals happen. Feel free to post your cycling goals in the comments section below….and you’ll instantly have a whole bunch of people keeping you accountable and helping you make it happen.
I’m a sucker for stuff like SMART and now STOKED, love that one Darryl!
But my absolute favourite motivational saying is from Henry Ford: “Wether you say you can, or wether you say you can’t, you’re probably right.”
That one says it all for me. It’s down to yourself and no-one else at the end of the day, despite support from well meaning others.
My goal for the year is to lose the last 3 stones (42Ibs for you folks across the pond) which will make a total loss of 112Ibs for me and I’ll be lighter than when I was in the Army and playing Rugby. No pressure then!
Yeah, I’ve always liked that quote as well Clive. Keep on doing what you’re doing and you’ll get there, Mate. My ears are always open and here to talk if you ever need it. Cheers.
I love love love this post Darryl. Your attitude is HAwesome!! Soo S.T.O.K.E.D. that I met up with the #Boyzclub as it were; you guys have been a bigger part of my ‘success’ this year than you’ll ever know.
Thanks Heather…..it feels great to hear that. I’m looking forward to seeing you in April.
I enjoyed the acronym – works for me
Thanks Clare, you thought it was so nice that you commented twice huh? Just kidding. Post all the comments you like. Thanks for stopping by.
I like the acronym – works for me
And NICE SOCKS
are those special riding socks?
Hahahahaha, pretty styling outfit huh? My blogging buddy, @cyclelicious told me I should get a panda shot, so I just went outside in front of my house and took a few shots. Next time I should dress up for the photo shoot.
Dude, put on a helmet. 🙂
Nice pic
and like the STOKED thought, good stuff
Great acronym, I’m using it! I’m a huge fan of setting goals and trying to keep my eye on the prize. I write them down and post them on my wall in poster form.
Here are a couple of my goals this year.
– Help at least 5 people feel the sensation of riding with ‘The wind at their back, and the sun upon their face.’ (This will become more clear to LovingtheBike readers in a few weeks)
– Complete 200miles on a trainer in one sitting
– Raise a personal record amount of money for those affected by cancer
– My biggest goal this year is to help others achieve theirs through support and encouragement.
I know you well enough to know that you are the goals master, my friend. I’ve seen you achieve the un-achievable and I look forward to you doing all this and more. I also know that one of your goals is riding with me this year, so we will definitely be making that one happen as well.
Darryl
Great post Darryl! I wrote a post a couple of months back about how to set goals in your cycling, and I hit on a lot of the points you mentioned. So yeah, I totally agree!
My cycling goals for this year:
-Ride 2,000 miles (yes, on my MTB… those are hard-won dirt miles, not road miles)
-Enter my first race
-Finish the Fools Gold 50 (race. Again, dirt miles 😉
-Ride a bunch of new trails (I’m creating a “trail wishlist” for this year… let’s see how much of a dent I can put in it!)
Cheers,
-Greg
Great goals, Greg. Thanks for sharing them. I’ll keep an eye on you and make sure you’re on track and knocking all of these off your list.
Darryl
A very good acronym … and I like the picture! 🙂
Nice panda shot!!!
And I love that acronym… did you think of that on your bike, Einstein? 🙂
Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone #lovingthebike.
I generally think up all the good stuff on my bike, but this acronym was something I came up with a few years ago….even before my hardcore biking days.
Darryl