One Day or Day One
Coaching Tip #10
Last week I wrote about the feeling of being empowered, especially as you move toward an unknown future.
This coaching thought encourages you to explore opportunities for future goals.
It’s important to remember: Goals are only thoughts until you do something about them. As a 13-year-old, my goal was to swim at the Olympics. It took commitment – day after day after day – to get there.
Seven years ago, I thought that if I could interview 100 high performers who had positively transitioned from sport toward their new goals, maybe I would learn how to better help athletes who were embarking on their next stage of life. It took me four months to find the courage to call my first interviewee! This April 21 – after various rounds of drafting and writing and editing – the book is being published.
Setting goals initially takes thinking and idea-generation: that space to incubate your ideas. Basically, you have to see if you want to make friends with your goal. Once you decide that the idea you have deserves the action necessary to make it a reality, you must then confront the reality – will it be one day or is this day one?
I hope that my journey with the book inspires you on your journey. I have to admit that my first thoughts were filled with doubt. Who would want to talk with me about their struggles? I had never conducted such structured interviews before.
But behind that doubt was something bigger. One day it was my desire to make a difference for athletes. So day one I wrote down some questions that I want to ask. Then I wrote down a list of criteria that interviewees needed to meet. I learned how to record a call and found someone to help me transcribe the interviews. Each time I did a small action, my goal became more of a reality.
In this process I had many one days. One day I will start the interviews. One day I will share their insights. One day I will write a book. One day I will develop an online course.
And day one does not need to be a giant step. Meaningful goals are accomplished by small, daily actions. Celebrate those small steps. Build them into your schedule. And show some kindness to yourself. Give yourself time to incubate ways to accomplish your next day one.
Melinda