Never be satisfied.

Author

Daniel Polehn
August 28, 2023

This past weekend I raced my last triathlon for the year. Friends and family asked how it went. I told them I beat my time goal and placed in my age group. Better than I had hoped, by all measures.

One person asked “Oh nice! You satisfied with that?”

“I will never be satisfied.” I replied, accompanied by the requisite Hamilton GIF.

But their comment got me thinking.

At the beginning of the year, looking at past results for the races I had signed up for, I thought, “Hmm, I could be close to placing in my age group. Not like that’s going to happen, but…”

I don’t consider myself to be very competitive, but competition adds a layer of fun to race day and is surprisingly motivating. I had doubts I was “good enough” to compete, but I let the possibility motivate me.

I put a lot of focus on my training. I focused on recovery. I made changes big and small to get the best results on race day. As a result I placed top 3 for men 30-34 in every single race I trained for. I blew all of my goals out of the water. I performed better than I would have ever expected just 9 months earlier.

I had a lot to be proud of, but I still wanted more.

You see, endurance sports, like many things in life, is an infinite game. It’s not just about the results of one race or one season. It’s about a lifetime of showing up and challenge yourself in new ways. Waking up every day and proving to yourself you can be a better version of you than yesterday.

As my sword wielding, fast, expat, Twitter friend Anthony says, you have to embrace the grind.

We’re in this for the long haul. You need a bigger “why” than simply getting a half marathon personal best. For me that’s living a healthy, active life for as long as possible. If I can play with my great grand kids, that will be the real lifetime achievement award.

When you set a goal, it should be achievable, yes, but it should also intimidate you. You’re not always going to succeed. However, you may find that discipline and daily striving lead to exceeding your ambitious goals.

The take-away: If you want to achieve something, whether that’s better health, more financial security or anything else, it helps to have goals.

  • Use healthy competition to motivate you.

  • Play the infinite game. You may never be satisfied, but that can be healthy with a growth mindset.

  • Remember your big “why”. Make smaller / yearly goals in support of that.

So, what’s your big why?

P.S. This seasons race results for the curious and detail oriented: