*Three Minute Read (Para leer en español, haga clic aquí)

A few weeks ago I participated in a big event at Orangetheory Fitness.  It’s called the Dri Tri (their take on a triathlon) and is the culminating event of the studio. The event includes a 2,000-meter row, 300 body weight exercises (squats, step ups, pushups, burpees, bench hop overs, and plank jacks), followed by a 5k run. The goal is to complete the entire thing as quickly as possible.  It is both physically and mentally very challenging.

I signed up for the event several weeks ago and have spent the past few weeks preparing in both big and small ways. I’ve adjusted my daily workouts in certain ways that will benefit me at the Dri Tri, as well as simply envisioning each part of the event as I’ve gone through my workout every day. I have also intentionally increased my water and protein intake over the last few weeks to give my body what it needs to kick butt.

I also identified two personal goals for the Dri Tri: beat my previous time and run/jog the entire 5k at a pace no slower than 5 miles per hour.

I focused a lot on my goals the past few weeks in preparation, even repeating them over and over in my head. I also took some time to write them down, so they were solid in my mind.

One of the final steps of my preparation was articulating the goals to others as my accountabili-buddies!  I shared my goals with a few close friends and my kids, as well as with the entire staff of LUNA. I also shared them with my coach the morning of the Dri Tri and a few friends who came to support me that day.

I was thoughtful and intentional about who I shared the information with and also recognized it was an important piece of the puzzle to let others know what I was hoping to achieve.

During the event when I was exhausted, my legs were shaking, and I was ready to slow down, I heard my friend Victor in my head encouraging me saying, “You’ve got this!” I saw Laurie, Lisa, and Gillian offering me high fives and clapping for me to keep pushing. And I pictured my friends in the parking lot greeting me with a mimosa once the event was completed. (This last one really happened!)

Sharing my goals with others helped me fight a little harder when I felt like I couldn’t go on for myself. Knowing others were in my corner cheering for me helped so much when I was hitting a wall and felt like I just couldn’t go any further.

Sometimes sharing our goals is scary and intimidating because there is more risk of failure. More risk of others seeing our missteps. I believe that’s exactly why we should share our hopes, goals, and dreams with others, though. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

If we are intentional about who has earned the honor of hearing our goals and dreams, they are not only there to help celebrate the victories but also support us when we fall. And if you’re setting goals that are truly challenging and helping you step outside of your comfort zone, then you will fall. The fall is so much easier though with an accountabili-buddy by your side.

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 Stevie Cromer is the Cultural and Enrichment Manager for LUNA Language Services. Stevie regularly provides engaging content to LUNA’s team to encourage a culture of care within our own LUNA family. For more suggestions and resources about how you might build a culture of care throughout your organization, please reach out to Stevie at stevie@LUNA360.com.