From The Mind Of Miesha Tate: The Importance Of Chasing Goals
Last month, I achieved a personal goal. That goal was to complete a 90-day challenge of running a total of 210 kilometers.
I haven’t done this in a while, and to be honest, running isn’t something that is important to me. But what pushed me towards completing this objective was simply accomplishing the goal.
The goal was to run five kilometers, three times a week, and I had to find different ways to stimulate and challenge myself to achieve this goal. I haven’t really run since I was halfway through my pregnancy, so I just needed something to get me back into the groove of things.
Running isn’t something I look forward to, so this was a challenge to me. I knew the goal was something I could attain if I put my mind to it, and I did. My very first run time was 32 minutes, and my determination to get better day by day showed by the amount of time I took to complete my last five kilometers – 24 minutes and 15 seconds.
It was quite a journey. I shaved off a lot of time, and I worked really hard towards it. I pushed myself every week. To me, it’s simple – this life is all about being the best version of myself, and why I posted that on social media was to encourage others to bring out the best versions of themselves. It is good to set goals, and it feels way better to accomplish them.
I’ve been in the shoes of someone who needs to find inspiration – and I think I’m still in it right now. When I first started my 90-day running goal, I suffered a foot injury that bothered me every time I started running. But after a while, it didn’t bother me anymore because I told myself it wasn’t severe enough to stop me.
I just continued to run, and although it was a bit uncomfortable at times, I knew I was accountable to myself and all my fans on social media. Also, that motivated me even further. I knew if I got through that, not only would I feel great about myself, but I can also inspire others on days where they don’t feel like getting a workout done. Just having that kind of camaraderie is a contagious attitude — in a positive way, of course.
I meet people who want to chase goals every day. Even when I train martial arts, where my passion is, I set small targets for myself when I grapple or strike. Everyone is different. Some people love to run, some love to do other things. But a similarity that all of us might share is that we all want to achieve a result at the end of the day.
During one of my seminars, someone asked me, “Do you still learn new things at your skill level and experience?” I replied, “Every day, every single day.” I think black belts around the world can say the same — you could be an expert at your art, but that doesn’t mean you cannot learn anything anymore. That is truly something that makes martial arts so addictive.
To everyone who wants to set a personal target, always remember to start with a realistic and obtainable goal. Sometimes, people get super motivated in the moment — they even want to go conquer the world. They make all these goals, and then they realize there is no way they can achieve them. And, before it has even begun, they already feel like a failure.
I’m all for being motivated, excited, and ambitious, but I’m not one who wants to set myself up to fail, or to feel bad about myself for not being able to accomplish unrealistic goals.
It is really important to set small, realistic goals that you can do consistently. I didn’t set the goal to run every single day because I knew with my packed schedule, that would be nearly impossible.
I knew I wasn’t going to be able to realistically accomplish that goal, so I set myself on a schedule. The plan was to run three times a week, with a 15-kilometer target every week. Now that was a goal I knew I could hit, and that kept me ultra motivated and accountable knowing I had no reason to not accomplish this goal.
Another tip I’d like to share is to write your goals down — always. When you write your goals down, you make a commitment to yourself, and that’s really important. You put down the promise on paper, and you can see it every day.
The next word of advice is to make your goals known to others — whether it is your mom, best friends, or somebody else around you (or even on social media).
When you take the step to involve other people, not only do you inspire others, but it allows them to follow and encourage you on this little journey of yours. It gives a good added pressure in a positive way, and at the end of the day, people will also be happy for you once you’ve accomplished your goal.
Lastly, I won’t say “surround” yourself with like-minded people, but have them in your life. It’s simply not realistic to always be surrounded by positive, like-minded, goal-driven people, and that’s actually quite alright. I find I am super motivated by naysayers, and for that reason, I think they play a valuable role as well.
My goal is to have the people who I allow the most influence in my life to be supporters of my success. If you want to make positive changes in life, then you have to look for people who continuously put that same energy out into the world.
Life is about evolving, and if you’re standing still, you’re not moving forward, and if you’re not moving forward, you’re actually going backwards. With that in mind, strive for success and relish in your failures.
It took me 10 years to become the World Champion, and you can bet I had a ton of failures along the way. It’s your ability to adapt and grow that matters most in the end.
Again, remember to keep your goals simple. Sometimes, it’s just about winning the day.
Miesha Tate is the Vice President of ONE Championship. She is also a multi-time mixed martial arts World Champion, as well as a women’s mixed martial arts pioneer. Check back weekly for a new installment of “From The Mind Of Miesha Tate.”
