When we're working towards a goal, it can be super motivating.
And sometimes it can be fun.
But inevitably - in pursuit of a worthwhile goal - we are going to need to do things that are not fun.
Things that are painful, uncomfortable - things we don't want to do.
But we need to do in order to make progress.
I'm currently working towards a goal of improving my Barbell Bench Press 1-rep max, Barbell Back Squat 1-rep max, and 5k run time.
In pursuit of this goal, I am lifting 4x a week and running 2x a week.
Generally, I enjoy going out for runs.
However...it's the middle of the winter right now, and it can get pretty damn cold outside.
Now, not that cold generally speaking because I live in Nashville, TN not Buffalo, NY.
But I grew up in the Atlanta heat and warm temps are all that I know so cut me some slack.
Nonetheless, I'm doing my 2 runs each week outside in often times cold temperatures which is not very fun.
When I wake up in the morning and it's cold, the last thing I want to do is go outside for a long run.
So, I've been asking myself the question, how can I make this more fun?
To give you further context, for my two runs, one of them I'm doing on a track and one of them I'm not.
To make my non-track run more fun, I'm picking a new place to go each week that I've never run before.
Up to this point I've been able to run in some beautiful parks that have made the experience that much more enjoyable.
This past week I did a 5.5-mile run at Radnor State Park in 32 degrees. Again, I know it's not that cold, but still.
During that run, I thought hard about the importance of the question, how can I make this more fun?
Because picking a new place to run definitely made me that much more motivated and excited to perform an otherwise difficult task.
When you go about asking yourself - how can I make this more fun - think about these 3 options:
1. People
- Can I invite someone to do this with me?
Ex. Go on a run with a friend
2. Places
- Can I go to a special place to complete this task?
Ex. Pick a new place to run
3. Things
- Can I integrate something I like while doing this task?
Ex. Build a new playlist to listen to on the run
And when you're selecting people, places and/or things think about choosing something:
1. New
- Pick a new person, new place, and/or new thing
Ex. If you have a financial budgeting goal, pick a new coffee shop to go to when budgeting.
(New Place)
2. Favorite
- Pick a favorite person, favorite place, and/or favorite thing
Ex. If you have a weight loss goal, put on your favorite tv show when meal prepping.
(Favorite Thing)
Goals can be difficult to achieve.
The last thing we want is to fall short of the goal simply because we strongly disliked the process.
We want to find ways to enjoy the process - to be changed by the process.
Do this by asking yourself, how can I make his more fun?
To making crushing your goals more fun,
