@rebekastowe & @njnytc
My name is Rebeka Stowe. I am a sunflower state native, daughter, dreamer, music lover, and runner among other things; who is currently on an adventure filled journey to become the best I can be, in every area of life.
I grew up in Olathe, KS and attended Olathe Northwest High School, where I competed in multiple sports as well as participated in both Jazz and Concert band. After graduating in 2008 I was provided the opportunity to continue my running career in Lawrence, KS at the University of Kansas. My time at Kansas, as a student athlete was full of new friendships, experiences, challenges and a lot of fun. I completed my athletic career as a Jayhawk at the 2012 Olympic Trials. This experience paired with a lifelong dream of becoming a professional athlete and Olympian spurred me on and landed me in New Jersey. Which is where I currently reside and train with the New Jersey New York Track Club (www.njnytc.com @njnytc).
Dreams, Goals, & Buying in
Dreaming and making goals influenced by those dreams are absolutely essential to success. Before I go on I want to warn you- dreaming can be a demoralizing thing, it is going to challenge your ability to preserver and stay positive. When you dream big and make big goals you are putting yourself out there a bit and if said dream/goal doesn't come to fruition there is the possibility of a big let down. But if you never make the big goal or dream the big dream you are in a way counting yourself out from the beginning. What I have found is that what you put into and get out of the pursuit of one goal may be impacting a dream that has yet to be placed on your heart.
So, like I said last week, dream. What have you been dreaming about? Start there. You may have many of them. The more the better. But for this process try and focus in on one at a time to break it down.
What about your dream is in your control?
What can you not influence?
What might get in your way as you journey toward achieving?
These are the 3 big questions I would ask first. Then come up with your timeline. When do you want to have your goal/dream achieved by? Set a date. This is important. Teachers assign due dates so you actually complete the work. There are start and finish lines for a reason. Set your due date so you know what you are working for and when you want it accomplished.
From there identify a few check points. Once a month, after each race, after each practice, each night? Do this to check yourself and make sure you haven't drifted off target.
And what are you checking? Your daily and weekly goals. Maybe you write these down at the beginning of the week. Maybe you make them up during the workouts warm up. Maybe you make them during the run- find what works for you. Daily and weekly goals will have to be adaptable but they should still be purposeful. One weeks needs may change from another weeks- a day off may be more purposeful than trudging through an hour run. Pushing through the last interval or taking the lead when you are hurting may be what's necessary for another day. I recently finished a book that spoke briefly on goal setting and I found this interesting. The author shares that, "the brain is a goal-seeking organism. Setting a goal creates structural tension in your brain, which will seek to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be, who you are and who you want to become. If you don't set goals, your mind will become stagnant."
So goal set and then work with wisdom, purpose and with someone. This leads me to buying in. Once you have set those goals you need to share them. Sharing with a coach specifically is an essential factor to developing trust and faith in the program you are in, which allows you to fully buy in. Most coaches are going to want to see you succeed. And I'm telling you from the little coaching I have done as well as my coach/athlete relationships, that if you as an athlete are sharing your goals with your coach and backing it up with work, it is going to build trust and confidence between you and the coach as well as within the program. This directly impacts a team culture and ultimately everyone is going to be encouraged and motivated. Challenge your teammates to do the same. Ask them about their dreams, goals and what they are going to do to set themselves up for success. When everyone buys in, who knows where you could end up.
Second warning. I'm not telling you that this is a sure thing, recipe for success. Because sometimes you not achieving your dream/goal has a purpose as well. That's when you go back and ask what can I learn from this. From there, you dream again. In this you're developing character and resiliency. Even if you don't achieve the goal, you're getting something of far far greater value in the process. But, when you do achieve the goal... Oh man. Having dreamt about it ahead of time makes the achievement that much sweeter.
So again. Dream. Write your dreams down. Date them- origin and end point. Share them with someone. Work with purpose. Check in. Celebrate when they come true, and if they don't, then celebrate the process and what you learned.
Dream Big. Work in Wisdom, Purpose & Community.
Rebeka Stowe
@rebekastowe
Olathe Northwest HS '08
University of Kansas '12
@njnytc
*quote from 'The Circle Maker'