Succeeding in Personal Goal Setting

Setting SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) goals and writing them down to give them weight will motivate you. The next step is to plan each part of the process; you must complete realizing your ultimate goals. Goal-setting is a powerful method to help you think about your ideal future and what you need to get there, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision into reality. The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. This way, you can concentrate your efforts and be target oriented.

Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your learning and helps you organize your time and resources so you can be efficient and effective. Moreover, working toward goals will help boost your self-confidence as you recognize your ability to achieve the tasks you've chosen.

I’ll share my experience as an example. One year ago, I chose areas of my life that I needed to work on and be productive in by achieving specific goals the first year:

1.    Career:

• Adding values to the team and the company
• Sharpen my skills, potentials, and experience
• Have a successful year

2.    Education:

• Completing planned training and getting certified in several professional courses
• Reading and summarizing 30 books
• Learning about training based on data and performance metrics and nutrition (which I’ll cover later in more detail)

3.    Health/fitness:

• Focus on completing an IronMan Race
• Weight Management

Over the next year, my work was around weight management (I was above 250 lbs/115 kg) and living a healthy lifestyle. My goal was to invest in my health. I chose to be a triathlete.

I was motivated to do a triathlon for a variety of reasons. Some are obvious: "To lose weight!" Others are personal: "To boost my self-confidence and feel good about myself." Others are spiritual: "To find more meaning in my exercise," "To live more fully." And some are inspirational: "To serve as a model for others and show what is truly possible in life. Sport for all!"

I precisely wanted to complete an Ironman race, which is considered one of the most challenging sporting events in the world. Participants cover a total distance of 70.3 miles/113.1 km, consisting of a 1.2-mile/1.9 km swim, a 56-mile/90 km bike ride, and a 13.1-mile/21.1 km run.

While it’s one of the hardest things I have done, it’s also one of the most rewarding, and I learned many lessons applicable to leadership. Those are:

Purpose: One of the reasons to do an Ironman or other triathlon is a sense of achievement and a desire to do something bigger than oneself. When you prepare for eight months for a race—waking up earlier, weekly training for 10-15 hours, balancing time between family, work, and education—it’s the purpose that keeps you going.

Attitude: Attitude is more important than aptitude! Finishing an Ironman is tough, and some athletes are naturally talented (I am not!). However, no matter your build and shape, crossing the finish line is about much more than just natural talent—it is about how dedicated, committed, and resilient you are in pursuing your goals.

You vs. You: Endeavors like Ironman (or leadership positions) will test you. You will fail and be questioned. Some of your failures might embarrass you; however, you can learn from these mistakes and do things differently. Learning how to tackle your task with even more energy, courage, and determination will make you better, faster, and stronger. You will be defined not by how you feel but rather how you stood up. It is about trying to be a better you, so the competition is only with yourself.

Performance Metrics: I learned about the evolution of training based on data in addition to nutrition. I analyzed and measured every run, ride, and swim: specific heart rate zones, VO2 max, lactate threshold, running cadence, biking power watts, etc. Being data-driven in your goals is the best way to measure your progress and improve performance. Leaders and athletes are experts in setting these goals, measuring results, and achieving specific performance metrics.

Enjoying the Journey: Although crossing that finish line gives you a sense of achievement, the most valuable part of Ironman for me was the journey—the training itself! Now, when I think about my life and work, I have a new mindset: the goal is to inspire day-to-day fulfillment, a commitment to professional improvement, the team, and pride in what we have achieved. The endgame (crossing the finish line) is just part of that journey.

Ironman training is hard work. It’s not just you who are putting in long hours; you learn to respect that each person who has gotten somewhere has put in the effort that you probably don’t know about. Each success story, be it a fellow athlete or a colleague, comes with an untold story of determination, hard work, and passion. Remembering this helps you shed your ego, be humble, and respect the efforts of others.

Be thankful to your family, friends, organization, and team and feel blessed that you have opportunities and strength in your legs to run an Ironman and navigate life. We should have a sense of gratitude for the opportunities we are given to prove ourselves, to build something, to learn, and to share. We should do everything possible to be successful and inspire others to do the same.

The effort, passion, time management, and dedication required to train and complete an Ironman or similar endurance event are the same attributes that help a leader be successful. For me, these goals were just the beginning of a 5-year plan, and I am encouraged by my successes so far. Enjoy the journey and have fun. Remember, you don't have to do this, you are fortunate that you get to do it.