Page 37 - Hard Goals

28 HARD Goals

“I thought back to when I was 15. I knew I’d get to the Olym-
pics then, but I didn’t know it would take 12 years to happen.
Four of those years I was at West Point, and during my junior
and senior years I lifted weights six nights a week from 11 p.m.
to one in the morning. It was easy; it didn’t take any Herculean
discipline. I was powered by the thought of one day standing in
the starting gate at the Olympics.” 1
Guided by a heartfelt intrinsic connection to his goal, Lyle
made an unwavering commitment to becoming an Olympian
when he was just a kid. That was a pretty heady ambition, but
as Lyle goes on to say, it’s not just about gigantic goals like
becoming an Olympian. “As I stood in that gate, I realized that
for the fi rst time in my life I was going to try for a true 100 per-
cent; no excuse for holding back would ever matter. It was one
of those moments in life where we get to say to ourselves, ‘When
I step over this line I’m going to give it everything I have.’ But
that line could just as easily be a project at work, a relationship,
or the resolve to change an attitude.” Lyle’s right, and giving
100 percent defi nitely comes easier when you have an intrinsic
connection to your goal.
So how do you create an intrinsic heartfelt connection to
your goals? By understanding your Shoves and Tugs.
Everybody has Shoves and Tugs. Shoves are those issues that
demotivate you, drain your energy, stop you from giving 100
percent, and make you want to quit pursuing your goals (they
“shove” you out the metaphorical door). Tugs are those issues
that motivate and fulfi ll you, that you inherently love, that make
you want to give 100 percent, and that keep you coming back
no matter how hard things get. (They “tug” at you to keep
pursuing your goal.)