If excuses were currency then we would all be rich. It seems to be part of our normal disposition to find a reason not to do what we know we really should be doing. Books could be, and have been, written on the excuses people make for avoiding their goals and objectives.However, in this post, I want to focus on those times when you genuinely can’t do what you planned to do i.e. when you face a serious obstacle. How do you react when the goal posts move?
I am a big cycling fan and I have found the story of Javier Otxoa to be an inspiration:
Javier and Ricardo Otxoa were brothers from the Basque region of Spain. They both achieved their dream of becoming a professional cyclist. Not only did they train together but for some time they raced together as part of the Kelme professional cycling team. Javier, in particular, had shown great promise as a young cyclist, even taking one of the most difficult stages of the 2000, Tour de France. However, his world would soon change forever. In February 2001, while training, Javier and Ricardo were struck by a car. Ricardo was killed, while Javier was left in a coma.
At one point, Javier’s parents were advised by the doctors to switch off the life support machine. They refused. Seven days later, Javier regained consciousness. While he was still alive, he was left with brain damage. Despite the brain damage and the depression he had been left with; Javier continued to set himself goals. He realised that it would be too difficult for him to return to professional cycling but he did not use this as an excuse to stop cycling altogether. Instead, he now set his sights on the Paralympic Games of 2004. The goal posts had been moved but the passion and the determination remained. In the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Javier won a a gold and a silver medal. He followed this with a gold medal in the 2008 games in Beijing.
Life dealt Javier Otxoa a bad hand. He was left in a position whereby he could no longer pursue his ultimate dreams but, rather than focus on what he could not do, Javier asked himself . What can I do?’ The goal posts were moved; Javier set new goals, regained his focus and achieved things that many thought would never be possible.
I have been re-inspired by Javier’s story this year. I have become very passionate about my training in the gym, over recent years. I had big aspirations for progress this year but over the winter the goal posts were moved. I suffered the reoccurence of an old shoulder injury and have only just returned to proper training after almost 6 months. On top of this, I have had the displeasure of two visits from the local burglars over the winter. This threw my sleeping pattern out of sync for a while. The end result is that I have gained over 10kg. The goal posts have now moved from advancing to regaining my conditioning. Thankfully, my gym, Dolan Fitness, is running it’s annual body transformation competition. It is an opportunity for extra support from my trainer and peer support from my fellow members. The goal posts have moved and the competition provides an amazing opportunity to achieve my new objectives. I may never be amazing as Javier but I am determined to learn from his story.
Discover the secrets to effective goal setting.