Failing To Plan Is Planning To Fail

I wrote the article below in December of 2019 and signed a lease to open aCrossFit, my first solo venture, in February 2020. Little did I know the world would shut down one month later. I talk about goal setting, planning, and creating a “why”. Fast forward to today, the gym has been open for 4 years, we have an amazing group of members, and I have some even more amazing people helping me make the gym “GO”.

I still believe in goal setting, planning, and having a strong “why”, but the biggest thing I have learned over these past 4 years is that you can do all of those things, but in the end, you just have to “DO”. All the planning in the world isn’t worth shit unless you add “ACTION”. It can be scary, but you just have to start! An imperfect plan done consistently, beats a perfect plan that is never executed.

The other big lesson I’ve learned is that goals and planning need to be adjusted along the way. If I continued to do the same things I did when the gym first opened, I’d still be where the gym was when it first opened. We just moved into a new location, which more than doubled our size. The VISION is to be the BEST gym in Lexington. To do that, I need to focus more on working on the business than in the business. I will need to rely more on the people who are helping me. During the move I was told, “we need you to be a CHIEF and not an INDIAN”.It was a reminder to let people help me do the work, but they need help knowing what work needs to be done.

"Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail."

 
98% of all New Year’s Resolutions fail by Feb. 1st. That is a shocking statistic that I just made up, but take a second to think about the last time you made one and followed through with it. So why do we start out with such good intentions just to fade back into the exact same place we started from only a few weeks or days after starting.
 
I believe it has a lot to do with planning, or better yet, the lack of planning. Waking up on January 1st with a solid hangover, a softer than we want belly, and the dread of another year in the same position we were in all of last year, whether it be our job, relationship, or any other, doesn’t make for the ideal headspace to create the year long decisions that will guide us to the life we are yearning for.
 
So what do we do?  START PLANNING NOW!!!  Use the month of December to set your GOAL(s) for the year. WARNING!!! A goal without a strong “WHY” has little chance of success.
 
“I want to lose weight” Why? What will you feel like if you do? What will you feel like if you don’t?
 
“I want to change careers” Why? How will your life be different if you do? What about if you don’t? 

We need to answer these questions, to see if the “why” is there and if it is strong enough. You and I are 100% responsible for creating our current situations. If you don’t believe that, there is no goal you will achieve, because there is no “why” strong enough to keep you moving when things get tough.(and they will!) You’ll make an excuse for why its someone’s or something’s fault for you quitting. If you don’t like what I just said, stop now and read/listen to Jocko Willink’s book – Extreme Ownership. Then get back to your goal setting.
 
Here is my big goals for 2020: Open my own gym in Lexington, KY by June of2020.
 
WHY:
It will fulfill a lifelong dream of mine.
It will provide me a career that I love.
It will provide me an income to support my family.
It will provide me an opportunity to be a good example to my children. Show them the power of setting goals and then working your ass off to achieve them.
It will provide me an environment to help others achieve their goals.
 
*Just so you don’t think I was talking a big game earlier about being responsible for your current situation. Confession #1- I don’t currently own my own gym because of past decisions I’ve mad out fear. Fear I couldn’t do it myself, fear of not knowing how to do it, fear it would fail. Confession #2 – I still have those fears, but I also have a bigger fear, the fear of what will happen if I don’t do it. So fuck it, here we go!
 
So I have my goal, I have my “why,” and I have my healthy dose of fear to come along for the ride. Now I need to create the game plan for the coming new year that will enable me to make this goal a reality. Not only what are the steps I have to take to make it happen, but also, what are some of the daily habits that I need to create or reinforce that will make sure I am prepared to navigate all of the challenges (fear) I have ahead and then be successful moving forward as the gym opens. 

I believe that there are 8 areas of life:
Physical
Emotional
Social
Spiritual
Financial
Intellectual
Occupational
Environmental
(I’ll define further what each of these areas are in the next email)
 
Some of these areas, you might already be killing it in, if so great! Others maybe not so much. This is where the work needs to be put in. If I open my gym, but my relationship with my wife is a mess, am I successful? What if I’m not giving my children any attention, have I succeeded? Does anyone want to follow the coach who makes excuses for not working out because they are too busy building their business? What if I open and I’m stressed all the time because the business isn’t making money? The point is, each area of our life requires attention, not always equal amounts, but you cannot try to do good in one while ignoring the other(s).
 
Take this week to brainstorm some goals and then give them the “why”test. If there isn’t anything strong, get rid of it and keep on thinking. Also, examine all of the areas of your life and identify which could use some attention. Next email, I’ll dive into my areas and how I’m going to address them.
 
Until then, 2 things:
 
#1 - No matter what your goals, one should be to read more. No one’s life ever got worse because they read. 10 pages read a day for a year equals18, 200 page books. Do you think if you read 18 books last year, you’d be a different person today? The answer is yes! So start getting your book list together. Here are 2 suggestions to get you started:
Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
War of Art – Steven Pressfield
 
#2
Check out this video for a little inspiration:
 
https://youtu.be/EvT5XS7j-Dc
 
*If you know anyone who might benefit from these email, please send them mywhile and I’ll add them to the email list. Thanks!
 
In Strength,
 
Eric Karls M.Ed.
Chief Awesomeness Facilitator
Certified Level 3 CrossFit Coach
Facilitator Fitness