A Clear Image

August 10, 2021

A Clear Image

“If you don’t have a clear image of your dream, then you’re going to quit.  When it gets difficult or when too much starts going on, you’re going to tap out.  You’re going to start to shirk your responsibilities.  The world needs you to show up as the best version of yourself.”

Amber Selking, PhD.

This quote by Dr. Amber Selking resonates on a multitude of levels.  Regardless of where you are in your life; in high school, college, post-collegiate, mom, dad, coach, etc., not having a clear image of where you want to go makes achieving your goals much more difficult.  Not having a clear image of what you want to achieve or accomplish makes the road ahead a cloudy and possibly bumpy one.  That’s not to say that having a clear image won’t make the path towards accomplishment that much easier, but you might be able to anticipate some roadblocks along the way.  Not having a clear image sheds darkness and confusion on which path to take, when to turn, and how long to travel.

An activity I started sharing with my athletes a few years ago has illuminated the path in a way that we (coach and athlete) can create a clearer roadmap towards accomplishing our goals.

I want to (insert goal/accomplishment) because (list your reason) and (a supporting reason).  

Constructing a two to three sentence vision statement has assisted many of my athletes in accomplishing their goals for a couple of reasons.  First, I had them complete the activity and share their responses with their teammates.  Second, we created a shared vision board where each athlete wrote their statement for their teammates to see.  It helped create a stronger and more supportive environment because everyone knew what each athlete was hoping to accomplish AND why it was important to them.

On a personal note, I’ve been training the past couple of years to compete in sprint triathlon races (750m swim, 13.1 mile bike ride, 3.1 mile run) as a way to add more excitement and accountability to my training.  The goal statement I wrote in the spring of 2019 when I first registered for a race was:

I want to complete a sprint triathlon race because I want to test what my body is capable of accomplishing in this different type of competitive environment and to set a better example of being healthy and more active for my young family.