Last Updated on 11 September 2021:
Accurately gauging an athlete’s commitment is something I’ve been passionate about since I started cycling coaching. It’s often a huge contradiction to the normal “you need to commit 100% to everything you do” kind of advice you might hear, but there’s a reason why you just can’t commit 100%…
Covered in this blog:
- Commitment relates to your ambition
- Top 10 reasons you can’t commit 100%
- Why you should dream big
- The importance of goal setting
- Summary
Commitment relates to your ambition
If you happen to be a professional athlete, or chasing a dream that is going to push your limit so far that it might just be out of reach, then you need to accept that anything less than 100% commitment will likely result in failure. Having said that, you are probably chasing a more realistic goal and, if not, we will discuss how to accurately reassess it.
Firstly, here’s 10 reasons you’re not going to commit 100% to your cycling training:
- Sometimes you might want the choice of riding inside or outdoors
- As you might want to enjoy riding in the sunshine
- Or you might want to avoid riding in the rain
- You’ll also probably want to ride with your friends, at least once a year
- When you might like to ride to a cafe
- Where you might want to eat cake
- Then later enjoy a ‘cheat’ meal
- Plus maybe enjoy an alcoholic drink
- Then skip the next session because of; work, family, sickness or other (hangover…)
- But finally, you’d actually like to enjoy cycling
This is just a fun little list, but it’s also a serious look at some of the sacrifices you’ll have to make in the search for 100% commitment.
Some people are chasing an almost impossible goal, and they might still achieve it (thus proving me wrong) if they infrequently partake in beer and cake, and there are probably more than a few people reading this thinking that they have achieved their dreams and not sacrificing everything on this list. To that my response is simply “you didn’t dream big enough”. Ultimately, you achieved your ‘dreams’, but you could have sacrificed even more and achieved even greater. You weren’t 100% committed.
Why you should dream big
I often get questions on this topic. Given we are told, as athletes or even when we were children, that you have to give (commit) 100% to whatever you do, my advice completely contradicts this. People are worried that I’m suggesting they shouldn’t pursue their dreams. Categorically, I’m not suggesting that at all. My point is to ensure that athletes don’t set themselves up for failure.
It’s like striving for perfection. It’s an unrealistic goal, and one, that if you do pursue, will result in one thing: failure. If you burden yourself with the belief that you need to be 100% committed to reaching your goals, how will you feel when you slip up, thus proving you’ve not been 100% committed? You might be thinking that one slip won’t matter, and you might be right, but one slip often makes it easier to slip again. Then again. And so on.
My advice here is to approach your commitment with the most positive possible attitude of simply giving it your best. If you slip up, don’t beat yourself up, just use it as motivation to get back on track. Almost everyone can benefit from enjoying the journey to their goals, as much as reaching the goal itself. Why else ride a bike?
The importance of goal setting
Having read this far, you might be thinking that your goals still might command that you commit more than what you feasibly believe you can. If you’re an aspiring professional athlete, if you want to make the Olympics, or such an event that commands 100%, then you do need to ask yourself whether or not your goal is actually realistic. This is ok, despite how you might be feeling about it. Ask yourself whether you’d rather reassess your goals now or face having to assess them closer to your goal date, or even failure itself.
If you feel your goals will be challenging enough, but will allow for some fun along the way, great! 90% of the clients I work with have plans that include training that just wouldn’t be seen on traditional plans. I understand the value of enjoying training, I understand the value of enjoying the journey, I understand the value of enjoying cycling. Why should training be anything less than fun, engaging, and rewarding?
I admit, it might be hard for you to tell if you need to fully commit. If you have lots of previous data, you can combine this with the experience of completing that training and make an objective assumption as to if your goal is achievable. If you’re still not sure, or have no data, reach out to me for a free consultation – I’d love to chat and help you work this one out.
The biggest improvements in your cycling performance will come when you successfully marry your level of commitment to your goal setting. This is why I work so hard with my clients on the importance of goal setting for cycling training. If you’re struggling to get on the bike because of low motivation, how much do you really think the training that you do actually benefits you? Image jumping on the bike, enjoying every minute of it, and really loving every aspect of training. That’s where the magic happens.
Summary
Freeing yourself of the belief that you need to 100% commit to your goals will give your mentality a great deal more freedom. It will derestrict how you feel about your training, and really help you see significantly greater improvements.
Being realistic with your goal setting and forgiving yourself when you don’t follow the plan perfectly is crucial. It will increase your chances of you actually reaching your dreams.
We all know too many people who set too high goals, over-committed, and ultimately stopped short. Let’s break the 100% commitment rule, and enjoy the journey more!
