WILL YOU BE READY?

We just wrapped up our big annual meeting of the year for our real estate company. Our guest speaker was Olympic Athlete, Nick Symmonds. Nick shared his inspiring story of how he managed early rejection, endured hours of relentless training, and overcame the competition to go on and compete in the 2012 Olympic 800M run.

The most inspiring takeaway from Nick’s story for me was all the preparation, persistence and patience required to be ready for 1:42 seconds of performance opportunity when it arrived.

While many of us will not be training for an olympic qualifying time in the 800M race, we are training for our own race this year. Our race is ours and depending on what season of life we are in we will have personal obstacles to overcome.  Your race may be a big break in your business or career, your race could be overcoming an unexpected personal health setback, your race could be weathering a difficult season with a loved one, regardless, this year promises to bring challenge and opportunity.

There are three key elements to creating lasting habits that will serve when we need them most. Clarity, consistency and community. Are you clear as to why or who you are doing it all for? Our discipline is inspired by the purpose behind our decisions.  If having energy and being well enough to play with your grandkids someday is important to you, what did you do today to support this?

Consistency compounded over time will create the change you desire. We gain inspiration to be disciplined from momentum, day after day showing up and doing the work.  The more often we do something, over and over, the less we have to think about it, the easier it becomes.

Lastly, surround yourself with a community who supports you, believes in you and understands what challenges you may face along the way. Connection to your community will be the fuel for your plans, your goals, your growth.

Each year seems to pass faster than the last, time has a funny way of doing this the longer we are here.  Decisions we make today are preparing us for a moment we may not even know is coming. When you are faced with challenge this year, how resilient will you be? How will the decisions of your day prepare you to get back on track to your goals? As you think about the year ahead, what habits and routines will be required of you to be ready, to be prepared when opportunity arises?  Your preparation is your responsibility, will you be ready?