Goal-Setting for Greatness: Your 2025 Challenge
Happy New Year!
And what a year it has been. Around New Year's, I’ve always found it interesting to look back on the previous year. In many ways, 2024 feels like it went by so slowly; yet in others, it seems to have passed in the blink of an eye (like most years, I guess, right?). So much changed for me in 2024. I bootstrapped a business with my best friend, moved from DC back to my hometown, got a girlfriend (and Ollie, my Rottie, acquired a mother), completed three races, signed up for an Ironman 70.3, finished several books, traveled a ton, reignited my passion for fitness, and felt more fulfilled in my life than ever before.
All of that happened in just one year: 365 days, 52 weeks, 12 months. Until last year, I truly underestimated what I could accomplish in such a timeframe. I would always write New Year's resolutions for myself but never storyboarded how I was going to achieve them. I would give myself the end destination without mapping out the journey to get there. Then, at the end of the year, I often felt slightly ashamed for not achieving most of my resolutions. I made excuses for myself, but deep down, I knew the real reasons why I fell short. That’s what made 2024 different for me: I was purposeful in my resolutions at the start of the year and drafted a game plan for how I was going to achieve each one.
I also used to set the bar for my resolutions and goals pretty low. I always wanted my resolutions to be huge and scary, but I often felt overwhelmed by how I was going to conquer them. While it’s great to have some easily achievable goals for quick wins, those never brought me any real satisfaction. That’s why last year was so fulfilling—I set goals that genuinely intimidated me. At the time, I wasn’t even sure how I would make most of them come to fruition; I just let future me worry about that.
Then, I broke down each goal into manageable steps. What did I need to do today, this week, this month, etc., to help me reach my objectives?
When I decided to sign up for a marathon, I had never run more than three miles at once. Clicking “complete” on my marathon registration submission made my heart race a million beats per minute. “I just actually committed to this...” I thought. How was I going to prepare to run 26.2 miles before the end of the year? But all I had to do was break it down. I focused on my marathon training program and took it day by day. Before I knew it, I was noticing improvements in my endurance and recovery within the first month, and by month three, I was hitting personal records (PRs) every Sunday during my long runs.
I challenge you to set a couple of goals for 2025 that scare you just a little–goals that feel intimidating and make your palms sweat when you think about them. Not goals that are truly impossible, but ones that can be achieved with commitment and relentless pursuit. You won’t be alone—I’m setting three of those for myself in 2025, and each one terrifies me. But now that I know the satisfaction that comes from completing tough challenges, I’m eager to dive in again.
As you know, your goals don’t have to focus solely on fitness. They can involve enhancing your social life, pursuing travel aspirations, or any other area that’s important to you. Whatever your objectives may be, break them down into manageable steps. If they feel overwhelming, identify what you can do each day and week to make progress. This is the essence of our tagline, “Find Your 1%.” Instead of trying to accomplish everything at once, focus on completing a small portion today and watch how it compounds over time.
Once again, Happy New Year! Let’s crush our challenges in 2025 together!
- GTY Performance
