Today, we’re diving into the idea that while goals are important, they shouldn’t be the only focus of our fitness journey. Life moves pretty fast, and if we don’t take a moment to enjoy the process, we might just miss the joy that comes with it. We chat about how getting too fixated on outcomes can rob us of appreciating the little victories and connections we make along the way. Like, have you ever been so focused on hitting a personal record that you forgot to enjoy the camaraderie of training with friends? It’s all about aligning our actions with our values, which can turn the daily grind into something meaningful and fun. So, let’s kick back, celebrate those small wins, and remember: the journey is just as important as the destination!

Yep.

I said it before and I'll say it again.

Life moves pretty fast.

You don't stop and look around once in a while.

You could miss it.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, don't worry.

But we are going to talk about that on the Weeklife strength and fitness podcast today.

Life moves pretty fast, and if you don't stop once in a while, you might miss it.

I love that quote.

Because what we're going to talk about today is enjoying the journey, enjoying the processes, trusting in your values, and finding joy in that, rather than just focusing on the goal itself.

And I suppose to highlight it.

Everybody knows this.

We do goal reviews in the gym.

We do want to help you set goals.

However, in our mission to enrich lives through fitness and community, we can't just tie ourselves solely to the goal.

It has to be about enriching your life.

And life happens around the goal.

It is not the most important thing.

It's how you become in the process.

It's the person you are.

It's the values that drive you, not just the outcome.

So let's dive into that a little bit.

Today, I am Limartool.

This is the Wickloss strength and fitness podcast.

So let's start talking about goals.

And like, you know, as I said, get me wrong, they're super important.

I like to set them every three months for myself.

I'll kind of make an annual plan and then I'll break it down into quarters and we go from there.

I spoke about that on previous episodes, and I think it's super important because goals give us direction.

They give us something to work towards.

They give us a sense of purpose.

But the problem is sometimes we can get so fixated on the goal that we forget why we're doing it in the first place.

We can take a race.

There's a lot of people training for the Wicklow Half marathon or the 10km or training for Hyrox events.

You know, if the goal is to beat your personal record for a 10k run, or even just to set.

Even if it's your first one and you have a goal.

On the surface, this is great motivation.

It's measurable, it's concrete, it's achievable.

But sometimes that goal can become all consuming.

You're just so focused on crossing the finish line faster than ever that you miss the whole point of why you signed up for the race in the first place.

You missed the whole Point of why you signed up to do the Hyrox event with your friend.

You miss the enjoyment of the training process, the time spent getting fitter, the small wins along the way.

You remember we did an episode before on celebrating the 1%, those marginal games, but also, and I want to dive into this a bit more today, the moments of connection that you have with your friends who are training alongside you, suddenly the process, you know, can feel like a means to an end if you're ignoring that, if you're just so focused on achieving that final outcome, well, actually, you don't enjoy the journey that gets you there.

So why were you doing it in the first place?

Because we know when we spoke about this before, you know, when you finally achieve the personal record, it's never really enough.

It's so rare that, you know, you hit a new pb, you, you know, PR that run you PR your back squat.

It's so rare that you're happy for a long period of time.

What's likely, though, is that you'll be happy for a moment.

You'll celebrate it for about 10 seconds, and almost immediately after, you'll be thinking about what you could have done better, or else you'll start thinking about the next goal.

I've hit a PR back squat, just squatted 100 kilos for the first time.

You know what I want to do now?

I want to squat 110 and I'm going to try it and maybe I'll fail it and I'll be angry about it all over again.

And I get so focused on that new goal.

The same can be true for, you know, races and everything as well.

If you're so focused on achieving a personal best.

And then if you get it all of a sudden, it can just become about trying to do it again, but faster.

And the joy of the goal quickly fades.

You know, you're already moving on to the next achievement and this cycle can go on forever.

And in my opinion, it does truly rob you of appreciating the work, the progress, and the process itself.

You know, so, you know, how can we shift our focus from the obsession of the outcome solely to enjoying the journey to the outcome?

And the answer lies in aligning your actions with your values, you know, not just your goals.

You know, instead of focusing on the time or the end result of a race, let your values guide you in the process.

Like, ask yourself, like, why are you doing this in the first place?

You know, if your goal is that you want to hit 100 kilo bench press like why is that important to you?

Why does that matter?

Is it because you want to be stronger and healthier so that you can set an example for your children?

Is that what's important?

Is it that you want to beat your friend?

Both of those are cool.

As long as you're enjoying training with your friend and doing it, it's fine.

But if you're looking to, you know, train to feel stronger, healthier, more energized, maybe you want to push yourself, maybe you want to enjoy the camaraderie, camaraderie with your friends and other people in gym, maybe you want to feel connected to your body in a positive way.

Maybe you want to show that you are capable of more.

Maybe it's that you're trying to remind yourself of 10 years ago, that there is things that you can do, you can do hard things.

You know, whatever your reason, that is your true motivation and we should let that be the case.

You know, when we align actions with values, suddenly the process isn't a chore anymore.

It becomes something you want to do.

You begin to enjoy those incremental improvements, the little milestones and the moments of connection along the way.

You spend time working towards the goals because it's meaningful in itself rather than just something you have to get through so you can have that momentary celebration on the finish line.

You know, if you're training for a Hyrux or training for the 10k race and all you're thinking about is, I just want to get over that damn line, you're probably not going to enjoy your running training in the interim.

But if you're tying it with, I'm doing this to show that I can do it, and then you're doing the training to prove to yourself that you can do it, you're going to be a heck of a lot happier doing the training and noticing those marginal gains to building towards doing the goals, building towards achieving that, you know, so whether you're training for a race because you value physical health and mental resilience, the hours you spend training aren't just about hitting the number.

They're about growing, learning, improving, you know, regardless of the time, regardless of the end goal.

And I suppose, like speaking to this personally, you know, it's a.

I was Training twice a day, you know, I was focused on the end goals, yes.

And I had targets I had to hit to try and do it.

But when I look back at that period of my life right now, what I was really enjoying was the training and the people I was training with.

You know, looking back, whether it was, you know, Holly, who was here with Wild Whale a couple weeks ago, whether it was Chaz, whether it was Oisin and Teresa, you know, there was a group of us who, you know, trained regularly and that became the joy of the process.

You know, training alongside people, pushing ourselves, and that was the joy.

I don't look back at the workouts where it was, you know, 21, 15, 9 of muscle ups and back squats and think, oh, my God, I had so much fun doing that.

I never did, to be honest.

But I did enjoy when I was sitting down on my rest period, having a laugh and a joke and enjoying the process with my friends who are training for the competitions too.

And I think that's an important note is like, I train now because I want to be fitter and healthier.

You know, it doesn't matter what the end goal is.

But now I'm enjoying the process of training.

It's tied to who I am as a person.

I believe in physical fitness, so that's my values and that's the reason I do it.

And then I can jump in and do competitions like the in house ones that we'll have.

I'll jump in on a team to do a, you know, whatever fitness event is coming up that people want me to be on their team for.

I'll do it.

But it's the process that gets me there.

I'm not focused on trying to achieve new personal records all the time.

I still want to hit them and there's nothing wrong with having the goals to do them.

However, it's not tied to my self worth.

I have lots of goals for Wicklow strength and fitness, but if I wasn't enjoying the process of getting us there, like, if it was just about trying to get to the next milestone, trying to get to the next thing, then I wouldn't enjoy my job.

And I'll be honest with you, I love my job.

I love the process of coming in, working with my team, who are amazing, working with our clients, who are fantastic, who we can really uplift.

And I enjoy every moment of getting you closer to your goals because ultimately that's the process that's going to get me to my goals for the gym.

Right.

I need to Enjoy that.

And I want to create an environment where people enjoy coming to work so that we can build towards those goals.

But that's just tied to my values as well, of do it with a smile.

You know, I want to lead with kindness and I want to be a positive force on the world, you know, so if we talk about enjoying the journey and focusing on values to create a more positive experience and focusing purely on the outcome, you know, you just become more present in the moment.

You're not constantly looking ahead to the end result.

You're not constantly looking just at the, the date of your race and the times of your runs.

You're actually enjoying the process.

You know, whether it's the satisfaction of hitting a good training session or having a small personal victory, being present, you know, allows you to fully appreciate the progress you're making.

And, you know, you can look back at the person you were a year ago and you can realize that the journey is more rewarding itself rather than just being a stepping stone to the next goal.

Because if you're constantly looking at the next goal all the time, it's always going to keep getting further away as you set more and more targets for yourself, you know, and by being more focused on the journey and the experience, you know, you will build more resilience and consistency.

You will not suffer that burnout or frustration of, you know, I can't do this anymore.

You're so, you can push yourself so hard, you achieve, you know, to achieve.

Sorry that you can forget to enjoy the little wins.

But now, because you're reframing it, because you're not necessarily so hyper focused on the outcome, you're focusing on the process that's going to get you there and you're holding yourself accountable to it.

You're.

You can focus on that and connect it to your core values so you're less likely to burn out, you know, so if you're training to do your 10k because you want to be a fitter, healthier person, you're training to do your 10k because you want to show that it's possible.

Well, if you're doing that, then you're less likely to burn out.

But if you're solely focused on I want to do 10k in 40 minutes and then you have a bad run, it can be easy to spiral because the work feels less meaningful.

The more consistent you are with your actions that align with your values, the more likely you are to keep going, even when things do get tough.

And another one I think is like, you will deepen relationships by looking at it this way.

When you're not obsessed with the outcome, you'll actually appreciate the moments of connection you have with those around you.

Whether it's, you know, training with friends, participating in a group class, supporting someone else on the same journey, the relationships you build along the way become just as important as the goals themselves.

Like it could even be the relationships you're building with the coach who's helping you get there.

You know, the shared experience of working towards something often becomes one of the most fulfilling parts of the journey.

And I kind of spoke to that about, you know, my own history earlier on.

And I think that's vital too.

You know, if you become so insular that it's just focused on the goal, you're going to miss what's happening around you.

You know, life moves pretty fast.

If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.

Like if you're so focused on your own training to get to this goal because the goal just needs to happen, this time needs to happen, you might miss out on a great laugh that's happening with your friend group.

Something that pops up, you know, a spontaneous moment where your friends say, do you want to come and do this?

Or a moment in the gym where everybody's laughing and maybe it doesn't, maybe it takes away from your training session a little bit, but you deepen the relationship you had with the people who were there and that will last well beyond the actual goal itself and you'll begin to find satisfaction in the process.

You know, it becomes the reward when it's driven by your values.

Because it's about growth, it's about learning, it's about self discovery rather than the external validation of hitting a target that you're just going to move for yourself afterwards anyway.

So when you're enjoying the work itself, the self of satisfaction actually comes from the improvements that you see in yourself, in your mindset, in your body, and in your life on a daily basis, rather than just at these outcome moments.

So, you know, shifting your focus to be on the process, enjoying the process to stop obsessing over the goal.

Enjoy those moments to get there along the way.

Celebrate the small wins.

Every small step is a victory.

You know, whether it's, you know, an extra kilometer, whether it's, you know, that you were doing an extra couple of kilograms on a weight on a particular movement pattern.

Maybe it's, you learn something new.

You know, the moment we learn about muscle up, it seems like, oh, I want to be able to do 10, you know, instead of being like, okay, well, what's the process that's going to get me to 10?

Because I enjoyed the process that got me to 1.

You know, the moments of progress are the true rewards that add up over time and we can stay connected to our.

Why, like, why are you doing this in the first place?

Why are you the type of person who is sitting here listening or driving whatever you're doing, but you're listening to the Wicklow Strength and Fitness podcast, which is a health and fitness podcast.

Why are you doing it?

Right?

There's obviously a reason, right?

Why, like, what is your reason for joining the gym?

Like, so when you feel like quitting or you feel like you're becoming too focused on the outcome, or you feel like you're not making the progress you think you should be, whether you're not getting close enough to that lofty goal, maybe you just need to reconnect with the values that are driving you.

Whether it's for health, whether it's for community, personal growth.

Remembering the deeper reasons will just help keep you motivated and help keep you in a positive mindset to go forward.

And you can enjoy the process for what it is.

You'll allow yourself to experience joy even with setbacks, because you'll probably be doing it around other people and they'll help lift you up.

The challenges, the small successes.

You know, realize that everything is part of your growth.

Nothing's wasted, and every step is a step towards being the person you're going to become and getting towards that goal that shapes who you are.

You know, to wrap up, I just want to leave you with that reminder to enjoy the journey.

The goal is important, but it shouldn't be the only thing you focus on.

Your values and your progress, they're the things that push you along the way.

And the connections you build are what will stand to you for a longer period of time.

Because, yes, you will be happy when you back squat 100 kilos, you will be happy when you do the Hyrax in under an hour and 20 minutes.

But the outcome is secondary to the joy in the process.

If you enjoyed how you got there, if you enjoyed the people you did it with, because you know as soon as you hit that 100 kilo squad or that sub 120 horox, it's all of a sudden about the heavier bar, the quicker race.

But instead we can have those goals.

But if we can focus on, yes, now I get to do six months more progressive training to get there.

You're living in the experience.

So next time you're training for something or working towards a big goal, ask yourself, you know, why am I doing this?

And focus on how you're going to get there.

So, once again, thank you for joining me today.

Thank you for listening.

I've really, really enjoyed some of the conversations that have spun out of having this podcast.

I really didn't think it was going to grow into what it has.

And I want to just thank everybody who listens.

Whether you listen every week or just tune in when you find an episode that you enjoy, you know, it's been great for, you know, deepening my connection to a lot of our members and to even people who aren't coming to the gym.

So thank you so much for listening.

I hope you all have a great day, and I hope to see you at some point soon.

And I guess I'll leave you with the reminder again from Mr.

Bueller.

Yep.

I said it before and I'll say it again, life moves pretty fast.

You don't stop and look around once in a while.

You could miss it.