Page 141 - Hard Goals

132 HARD Goals

the rare person who can’t say, “My biggest achievements are
among my greatest sources of pride and self-respect, no matter
how long ago they occurred, and I’m a better person for having
accomplished them.”
I hope, like me, that you fi nd this pretty heartening evi-
dence. You and I have done big things before, and even though
they were tough, we’re both glad we did them. We’re stronger,
smarter, better, and more fulfi lled for having made those jour-
neys. By the way, that’s what this whole book is about: improv-
ing our goal-setting tool kit so we can go tackle lots more of
those really big challenges and be even more accomplished and
fulfi lled as a result. And this chapter in particular is going to
help you set goals that are diffi cult enough to bring out your
very best.

WE HAVE THE NATURAL ABILITY TO
ACHIEVE REMARKABLY DIFFICULT GOALS

Remember Lyle, the four-time Olympian I mentioned earlier?
He knew from a very early age that he would one day make the
Olympic cut. “When I was 15 the national team came to my
little town to train,” Lyle says. “One of the athletes asked me if
I wanted to ski with the team. Of course I said yes. They were
probably just taking a rest day, skiing slowly, but I didn’t know
that then. I was saying to myself, ‘Hey, I can do anything these
guys can do. I’m just like them.’ My self-image was ratcheting
up and up. It was huge. I went home that night and made an
unwavering commitment to become an Olympic athlete.” And