Are You Fully Committed To Achieving Your Goals?
I go to the gym on a daily basis. I’m there for an hour, and my workout routine typically includes 40 minutes of cardiovascular training and 20 minutes of strength training in the wellness center.
When my workout is done, I sometimes stop to look into the basketball gym before heading out for the rest of my day. There is always a group of guys playing basketball. I used to play with these guys. In fact, I was one of the original two founding members of the early morning basketball games. I’m pretty sure my friend, Joe, and I started playing over ten years ago. We would usually play once a week. Eventually, other guys started coming into the gym to play with us. Before we knew it, we had enough guys for a full court game. Then we added more and split into two games going on simultaneously.
I stopped playing several years ago when I sprained my ankle one too many times and my lower back “complained” too much about the pain caused by playing. It was a hard decision as I have always loved the game of basketball, but I needed to modify my workout routine to keep me healthy for running and for life.
Yesterday as I was leaving the gym, I looked through the window into the basketball gym just a little too long. The guys waved me in as they needed one more guy to even up the teams. Before I knew it, I was running full-court four-on-four basketball. Despite my running shoes and my rustiness, I was able to keep up and contribute to the game. After fifteen minutes of playing, it was time to head home so I could get ready for work.
When I arrived home to shower before work, I was floating. I’m pretty sure I was smiling ear to ear when I told Leanne I had done something crazy at the gym that morning.
If you look back to the first Ice Breaker of the year, you may remember I set a fitness goal for 2015. The goal was to dunk a basketball by the end of 2015. Since writing that post on in early January, I have discovered that achieving this goal is going to take a much bigger effort than I could have ever imagined. Besides adding a few pounds over the past few years, I have lost a lot of my explosive leg lifting strength as a result of focusing on running for so long. My first efforts to dunk earlier this year were embarrassing and enlightening. Dunking used to be pretty easy, but now it was next to impossible.
In March, I started adding consistent strength training to my morning workout routine. Once I started working on my legs, I could see how much work I had ahead of me. I am noticing improvement, but I still have a lot of leg strength to rebuild before my goal will be achieved.
As I ran back and forth on the basketball court yesterday, I tried to be careful not to turn my ankles as running shoes are not ideal for playing basketball. When I left the gym, I started to consider the possibility of purchasing a pair of basketball shoes. This would be an investment for sure.
Achieving our goals requires investment and sacrifice especially if they are stretch goals. Making the necessary investment into achieving your goal will help you cross the line from casual pursuit to all-out commitment. I’m guessing basketball shoes will cost $100. If I make this purchase, I will be making a statement. I will be telling myself and the rest of the world (for those who care) that I am serious about dunking a basketball again.
We can talk the talk, but it doesn’t mean anything unless we walk the talk.