All I Want for Christmas....

It's here, its Christmas! The season to be thankful, the season for giving, and the season to embrace the magic and festive traditions. Trimming the tree, Christmas carols, Santa Claus. While everyone may not always share, we all have a secret (or not so secret) list for Santa. That new pair of nanos, a lifelong supply of your favorite protein, a gym bag that doesn't smell like something died in it, (I'm sure the list goes on). Perhaps some of us have things on our list that don't come from a store.

I'm pretty sure the Grinch was referring to something much more selfless, but I was thinking more along the lines of a bodyweight snatch, or pull-ups, or abs of steel. You know, all of those goals and aspirations we have floating over our heads every time we walk into CrossFit, or watch CrossFit you tube videos, or lie awake in bed, or blink... :-/ Wouldn't it be great if you could unwrap those on Christmas morning?! 

Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. Santa doesn't just arrive on our rooftops every December 24th via sleigh pulled by a caribou with a red nose that lights up and a bag full of fairy dust. Lets not be ridiculous... He's not Peter Pan!

So with this sad truth in mind, we must ask ourselves, how will we get what we want this year? Well, Being that it is already Christmas Eve, the abs of steel may be on back order, but we can definitely set ourselves up for a Merry Christmas in 2015. Plus, new year resolutions pretty much start now so first we must determine our goals, and make a plan of action on how to achieve them.  

It important to set SMART goals for yourself. There a are a few specific questions you must answer when developing a good goal. If you have taken a look at the goals walls at CFM, you may be familiar with these standards:

 

Your goals must be...

Specific: Ask yourself who what where when and why. Stay away from general goals and be detailed in your aspiration. 

Measurable: Decide how you are going to keep track of your progress and how much you have to progress to reach the goal in time.

Attainable: Your goal must stretch you further, but still be realistic. If the goal is important to you, you will figure out and develop the abilities to make it come true. If the goal is too far out of reach, it just becomes Un-motivating.

Relevant: Ask yourself if this goal works well with other goals you currently have. Do you have the resources to work on it at this time? Do you have support? Will it compliment other goals you are trying to achieve?

Timebound: You need to create a sense of urgency to reach your goal. A time frame will do just that. Give yourself something to shoot for and get after it.

The goal wall at CFM is a great way to visualize your goals, get others involved to keep you accountable, and watch as they are accomplished and crossed of the list. Here's how it works:

1. List our your goals with specific details such as a what you want to accomplish and when you want to accomplish it by. ex: 5 unbroken strict pull-ups by March 15, 2015.

2. Cross off your goals as you accomplish them. Celebrate your victory and give yourself a well deserved pat on the back.

3. Replace your old goals with new ones!

What happens when you don't reach your goal? Evaluate what work you did to achieve the goal, why you didn't achieve it, and what you should have done different. You now have to brush yourself off, keep your head held high, and re-establish your goal. Be sure to take into consideration how you would have done things differently, and keep working hard.

So, you may think it would be awesome to just have these things given to you every year but whats the fun in that? We are CrossFitters, we work hard and embrace the blood, sweat, and tears everyday for that feeling of accomplishment and progression, and its worth every second! Let Santa take care of the sweater sets and workout shorts, they would be much less awkward to rip open Christmas morning than abs of steel.

Merry Christmas to All!