I recently finished up my mid-year goal setting session and the main themes were relationships, staying healthy and enjoying life to the fullest.  I just finished up building the deck so that is going to play a big role in enjoying life and strengthening relationships.  Here are some of the key points that I want to focus on for the next half of 2010.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Jen and I have been grilling and eating dinner out on the deck every night for the past week or so.  We used to eat dinner in front of the TV which really didn't lend its hand to much discussion and interaction.  The new dinner setting will be a great way to keep our relationship strong for another 10+ years.  It's hard to believe that Jen and I will have been married for 10 years in August.  Time flies when you have a great wife!

Aside from Jen I'd also like to continue to be the best dad I can be.  I think I'm doing a good job so far but will continue to read up on the different developmental stages to ensure that I understand (as much as I can) what's going on in Claire's head.  All I really need to do though is show her love and have fun with her which comes very easy for me.  I'm pretty lucky that I get to spend so much time with Jen and Claire now.  Since our families still live in the midwest I also want to ensure that we spend enough time up there for them to get to know her and for us to play a positive role in the lives of our neices and nephew.  We've got a two week trip planned for the midwest around Christmas time so we'll be able to also see some of our extended family that we haven't seen in quite some time.

The deck will also help to build and strengthen relationships with some of our friends.  Since I've left the triathlon arena I haven't seen or heard from most of the triathlon crew.  I'm realizing that all of the training hours together weren't really quality friendship building hours.  I've gotten to know a few of the guys really well because we would spend one on one time together or travel together for races.  Group settings are not the best way to build great friendships....especially in a competitive environment.  That being said, Jen and I like to have people over on the weekends and the deck will be a great place for us to hang out and have dinner and drinks with some friends and get to know each other a little better in a smaller setting.

PROFESSION:

I don't foresee any changes in profession over the next 6 months.  I've got a great job and couldn't ask for a better manager and team members.  I'll continue to read up on new technologies and continue to learn more about the different businesses within our company.

HEALTH & FITNESS:

I've put fitness on the backburner lately and would like to reintroduce it into my daily routine.  My goal is to run at least one mile every day for the rest of the year.  I'd also like to do some form of strength training twice a week.  I'm not sure if I'll race before the end of the year but if I do I'd like to run between 15:30-15:45 for 5k.  I'm not in any kind of shape right now so that would take some consistency and smart training.

FINANCES & REAL ESTATE:

By the end of the year I would like to put a screened in porch on our half of the deck and then also screen in underneath the deck as well.  Along with that I'd like to lay pavers down underneath both sides of the deck.  Jen would like a hot tub under the deck and I'd like a hammock down there so screening in the top with a roof and drainage is key to keeping water away from under the deck and will create a nice living space for hot summer days when we want some shade.  We eventually plan to turn the duplex into a single family home so we'd have a sun area and a screened area.  If those projects don't take me to the end of the year then I'd also like to build a fence around the perimeter of the back yard as well.

SELF IMPROVEMENTS & HOBBIES:

Jen and I have three weddings coming up before the end of the year so I'd like to enroll us in ballroom dancing lessons.  I think it would be a great way for us to spend some quality time together and will be fun to put into action at the weddings.  I'll see about setting those lessons up for August/September.  I also want to focus on reading at least one book per month and continue to cook better food on the grill.  We've got to eat so it might as well taste good!  Aside from that I'd like to go sky diving in August or September.

Back in November I decided to hang up my triathlon shoes to focus on building my skills in other areas.  I've found that I tend to find enjoyment out of learning and seeing progress.  Once that the learning and progress plateaus I don't seem to get as much enjoyment out of that activity anymore.  That time has come with triathlon and I have decided that it's time to re-evaluate my goals and try to build some skills in areas that bring me more enjoyment.  I've been testing the waters in a bunch of different areas trying to find some activities that really peak my interest.  I've also gone back to the drawing board with my goals and in the process have revised my goal setting structure slightly to dig a little deeper.  Here's an overview of my new and improved goal setting process:

Overview:
1. Bad Ass To Do List
2. My Values
3. What I Enjoy
4. What I Do Now
5. My Contacts
6. Five Year Goals
7. Where I Am Right Now
8. One Year Goals
9. Where I Am Right Now
10. Brain Storming Questions
11. Weekly Task List
12. Daily Task List
13. Take Action

BAD ASS TO DO LIST:
Think of all of the things you want to see, do, master (learn), etc by the time you are 75 years old. Try to think without barriers such as money, vacation time, children, etc. Think of as many as you can. Then break them up into 5 year segments because there are some things that need to be done before your body gets warn down like "Climb Denali or Sub 9 hr Ironman or Advanced Level Racquetball Player or Ski in Switzerland" and there are other things that you can do at much older ages like "Visit Japan, Octoberfest in Germany, Give a Big Check to Someone in Need, Become a Good Cook, Mentor, Speak Conversational Spanish".  Put them in 5 year segments such as 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74.  Other people might call this their "bucket list" but that's a little too grim for me.

MY VALUES:
Write down your values. You don't have to keep the list to typical values like honesty, integrity, etc. I add things of value to me as well such as specific people, places, things, and mindset. This list will be the cornerstone for developing your 5 year set of goals because everything should be in line with your values.

WHAT I ENJOY:
Write down the things you enjoy doing most. These could be things that you currently do often...........or maybe you don't do them at all.  The key is that you have a great time doing them. Your goals should also be very closely tied to things you actually enjoy doing.

WHAT I DO NOW:
Write down what you actually spend most of your time doing right now. This will help to see what kind of gap there is between what you enjoy doing and what you actually do with your time. Include all aspects of your life. I break things down into 4-5 segments of my life: Relationships, Profession, Health & Fitness, Finances & Real Estate, Self Improvements & Hobbies. This is a list that I thought best breaks down my life into segments and might be slightly different for you so go ahead and change them if you'd like.

MY CONTACTS:
Write down a list of all of the people that you have come into contact with over the years and try to figure out if they are a positve or negative influence in your life.  This exercise helps to point you in the direction of spending time with people that give you positive energy, make you smile and laugh, and genuinely appreciate your company.

FIVE YEAR GOALS:
Remove any self limitations and think about what your perfect life would be like five years from now if you had the absolute power to become anything that you wanted to be. To make this thought process easier I typically break this down into five different sections: Relationships, Profession, Health & Fitness, Finances & Real Estate, and Self Improvements & Hobbies. These could obviously be different for you but they are the five main topics in my life at this time. For each of these sections I think about who I’m surrounding myself with, what I’m doing, where I am, what skills I’ll need to get there, and I start writing down 3-5 goals for each section. It's important to think without barriers so you don't limit your thought process. Once you have your ideal life in mind you can then start to think about how to get there.

WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW:
Take a look at each of these goals and figure out where you are right now compared to where you will be when you reach that goal. This gives a good idea of how much work and time will need to be put into each goal.  It’s also gets the thought process going on how you can get from where you are now to where you want to be.

ONE YEAR GOALS:
Take a look back at your five year goals and try to set goals that are in line with the five year goals and are specific, achievable, and have target dates set.  The one year goals should also be a stepping stone to achieving the five year goals.  I’ll also break my one year goals out into the same five categories as the five year goals: Relationships, Profession, Health & Fitness, Finances & Real Estate, and Self Improvements & Hobbies.  Try to come up with anywhere from 3-10 goals within each category.

WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW:
Take a look at each of these goals and figure out where you are right now compared to where you will be when you reach that goal. This gives a good idea of how much work and time will need to be put into each goal.  It’s also gets the thought process going on how you can get from where you are now to where you want to be.

BRAIN STORMING QUESTIONS:
Turn each goal into a question and come up with as many answers to that question as possible.  This brainstorming session helps to think of all of the possible things you can do to achieve that goal.  An easy way to turn a goal into a question is to place "How Can I" in front of the goal.

WEEKLY TASK LIST:
At the beginning of each week take out your One Year Goals and Brain Storming Notes and create a task list for each day of the week broken down by day (Mon, Tue, Wed, etc).  These tasks are the baby steps necessary for eventually completing your One Year Goals.

DAILY TASK LIST:
At the beginning of each day take a look at your weekly task list and prioritize the list for the current day.  Try to knock out the most difficult task first.

TAKE ACTION:
Complete the items on your Daily Task List and scratch them off of the list.  Each task that gets scratched off of your list is one step towards reaching your goals.

I try to go through this whole process once a year at a minimum or whenever something completely changes the direction I need to take in life.  The weekly task list should be done every week and the daily task list should be done every day.  This process has helped me to stay focused on doing the things most important to me and hopefully it will do the same for you.

This is part two of my Goal Setting Structure entries.  Here are the links to the previous posts:

Five Year Goals

Within my goal setting structure I break down my goal setting process into four segments: Five Year Goals, One Year Goals, Top Ten List, and Daily Actions List.  In this entry we’ll talk about the One Year Goal setting process.  In the Five Year session we thought about what our perfect life would be like five years from now and gave a lot of thought to what our values are as well as what we enjoy doing most.  We then came up with 3-5 goals for each aspect of our lives.  For the one year session we'll take a look back at our five year goals and try to set goals that are in line with the five year goals and are specific, achievable, and have target dates set.  The one year goals should also be a stepping stone to achieving the five year goal.  I’ll also break my one year goals out into the same five different sections as the five year goals: Relationships, Profession, Athletics, Finances & Real Estate, and Self Improvements & Hobbies.  Below are a couple of my goals from the Athletics category that I don’t mind sharing.
  

Athletics:

• Finish top 3 at Eagleman 70.3 in June 2010 by going sub 3:56.
• Finish top 3 at Augusta 70.3 in September 2010 by going sub 3:50 (fast course).
• Finish top 10 at Ironman 70.3 World Championships by going sub 3:48.

Where Am I Right Now
The next step is to take a look at each of these goals and figure out where I am right now compared to where I will be when I reach that goal.  This gives me an idea of how much work and time will need to be put into each goal.  It’s also gets the thought process going on how I can get from where I am now to where I want to be.  Below is one example from my 1 year goals: 

Goal: Finish top 3 at Eagleman 70.3 in June 2010 by going sub 3:56
Where am I now: This year I placed 6^th at Eagleman by going 4:02 on a day that I suffered on the run with cramps.  I was 5:15 away from 3^rd place (1:02 back on the swim, 4:03 on the bike, and 3 seconds on the run). 

The next step is to turn the goal into a question and come up with as many answers to that question as possible.  This brainstorming session helps to think of all of the possible things you can do to achieve that goal.  Here is an example: 

How can I finish top 3 at Eagleman 70.3 in June 2010 by going sub 3:56?

• Improve my 70.3 swim time by 2 mins
  • How?
    • Swim with Tim’s group every morning during the winter.
    • Minimum of 20k/wk from November through March.
    • Video tape stroke once a month over the winter and correct flaws.
    • Swim on Peter’s feet during hard sets to get used to turbulent waters and drafting at pace.
    • Increase shoulder/lat flexibility and work on core strength.
    • Swim a minimum of 5 days per week over the winter.
    • Practice going out hard for 400m and then settling into pace.
    • Improve ankle flexibility because my feet currently cause drag.
• Improve my 70.3 bike time by 2 mins
  • How?
    • I need a 6 week block of 280+ miles per week 12 weeks out from race day.
    • Follow that up with a 4 week ½ Ironman specific cycling block.
    • 3 weekends in the mountains doing the loop of truth in the build.
    • Increase bike frequency within the last 8 weeks before the race to 4-5 times per week.
    • Eliminate psoas discomfort when pushing hard in aero.
    • Need to become more aero on the bike which comes back to flexibility.
    • Computrainer workouts in the winter.
    • Riding with a Powertap would be beneficial.
• Improve my 70.3 run time by 2 mins
  • How?
    • Be more diligent with timing of fluids, nutrition, and electrolytes on the bike to avoid cramping.
    • Average 50 miles per week in the winter from January through March.
    • Do strideouts a minimum of 3 days per week to maintain speed.
    • Get race weight under 160 lbs.
    • Run with the runners.
    • Run frequency of 6 times per week.
    • Limit the amount of time doing VO2 intervals since they take a major recovery toll on me.
    • Spend more time doing hill repeats, steady state runs, and lactate threshold runs.
• Wake up early each morning to ensure that I get all of my training sessions in for the day.
• Start off the season a little closer to my preferred race weight.
• Do my maintenance routine at least 3 times per week.
• Stay dialed in with nutrition before, during, and after workouts to shorten recovery times.
• Get a massage at least once a month.
• Stay injury free through frequent maintenance and strength work.  Injuries kill consistency and without consistency it is tough to improve.
• Higher swim and run volume during the winter months since it is too cold and dark to get in a bunch of cycling miles.  Pick up cycling volume in March when the weather is more favorable.  Maintain cycling strength during the winter through Computrainer workouts and mountain biking.
• Get up to walk around and stretch at least once per hour while programming at work.
• Gain more race experience by racing more often. 

I could continue on but I think you get the idea.  If you want to take this further you could take each one of the items listed as an answer and turn it into a question.   Next up is to come up with the Top Ten List, and lastly we’ll come up with our Daily Actions List.  Stay tuned for the Top Ten List post…

The photo above is of me with my high school track coach, Marty Bushland.  Marty was the first person to introduce me to the process of setting goals.  At the beginning of each track season he would have us write down our goals on a sheet of paper and post it somewhere where we could see it on a daily basis.  I still have one of these sheets of paper from my senior year of high school.  Back then I didn’t realize the power of setting goals and viewing them daily but I am now a true believer in the power of setting high standards for yourself and working towards them every day.  The idea behind this is that you become what you think about most of the time.  If you see your goals frequently then you’ll be thinking about them more often and they will eventually become reality if you put forth the effort. 

Back in 2005 I started working with a more in depth goal setting structure that I think is an invaluable tool for success.  I’ve tweaked it over the past 4 years and have come up with a structure that I think works best for me.  I break down my goal setting process into four segments: 5 Year Goals, 1 Year Goals, Top Ten List, and Daily Actions List.  I try to sit down and re-evaluate my 5 Year Goals, 1 Year Goals, and Top Ten List at least twice a year or whenever I have knocked something off of the Top Ten List or reached one of my goals and need to come up with another one.  The best time for me to do this is during training breaks such as November/December and whenever I take a mid-season break in the summer.  This typically gives me some mental clarity and gives me the opportunity to take a new direction if necessary.

Five Year Goals
For this post I will walk through the first step of the process: Setting Five Year Goals.  This step is important because it forces you to think about what you really want further down the road instead of just thinking short term.  Before I start setting goals I write down what is most important to me.  These values should be the cornerstone of each goal that you set for yourself.  Here are some examples of what I might put down for my values: 

Values:

• Jen
• Family
• Friends
• Happiness & Laughter
• Integrity
• Honesty
• Continual Learning
• Healthy Lifestyle
• Teaching & Inspiring Others
• Financial Stability

Then I create a list of things that I enjoy doing most.  This is important because your goals should not only be in line with your values but they should also be linked to things that you get a high level of enjoyment out of. 

Enjoy:

• Spending time with Jen
• Being with family
• Training with my friends
• Hanging around people that make me laugh
• Competing at nearly anything
• Helping others reach their goals
• Relaxing, watching TV or movies
• Playing cards with friends
• Mastering new skills

Once you’ve got your values and things that you most enjoy doing down on paper it makes the next steps easier because you can go back and reference those two lists.  The next step is to remove any self limitations and think about what your perfect life would be like FIVE YEARS from now if you had the absolute power to become anything that you wanted to be.  To make this thought process easier I typically break this down into five different sections: Relationships, Profession, Athletics, Finances & Real Estate, and Self Improvements & Hobbies.  These could obviously be different for you but they are the five main topics in my life at this time.  For each of these sections I think about who I’m surrounding myself with, what I’m doing, where I am, what skills I’ll need to get there, and I start writing down 3-5 goals for each section.  Below I'll share one example from each of the categories from my last goal setting session.  You may notice that my 5 year goals are not as specific as the 1 year goals will be.  It’s more like painting a picture of what life will be like 5 years from now.

Relationships:

• I consistently follow through for those closest to me.

Profession:

• Athleticore.com has over 50K unique visitors per month.

Athletics:

• I am a consistent top 3 finisher at 70.3 events.

Finances & Real Estate:

• We have over 90% yearly occupancy for all five rental properties.

Self Improvements & Hobbies:

• I am fluent at speaking Spanish.

Where Am I Right Now
The next step is to take a look at each of these goals and figure out where I am right now compared to where I will be when I reach that goal.  This gives me an idea of how much work and time will need to be put into each goal.  It’s also gets the thought process going on how I can get from where I am now to where I want to be.  Below is one example from my 5 year goals: 

Goal: I am a consistent top 3 finisher at 70.3 events
Where am I now: I’ve recently placed 5^th and 6^th at two 70.3 events and was an average of 6:47 back from 3^rd and 9:43 back from 1^st.  I’ll need to make up around 8-9 total minutes between my swim, bike and run to be a consistent top 3 finisher. 

Now that you know where you want to be in 5 years and you know where you are right now the next step is to set some goals for in between to take baby steps towards those 5 year goals.  My next post on goal setting will focus on the 1 Year Goal Setting session to fill in the gap between where you are now and where you want to be in 5 years.

The photos above are of my parents, Mike and Julie Frank, as younger adults tending to their children.  Back when I was a youngster they planted a little seed in my head that continues to grow to this day.  Even though they didn’t have the same opportunities that they gave me growing up they had the insight to give me the tools necessary to live an enjoyable and successful life.  When I ask them how they knew what to do as parents they typically respond saying that they didn’t know what to do.  They didn’t read books, blogs, or articles on the subject of parenting.  They just did what they thought seemed right. 

Back in 2005 I started working with an in depth goal setting structure that I think is an invaluable tool for success.  I’ve tweaked it over the past 4 years and have come up with a structure that I think works best for me.  I just went through a round of my goal setting process over the past few weeks and I’ve realized something about myself.  I like to Think Big.  I like to set very high goals and work hard to achieve them.  When going through this process I tried to think back to when I first started thinking this way and it all comes back to my childhood.  At a very young age I remember my parents telling me that I could do anything that I set my mind to.  This was a very powerful thing for them to tell me over and over as I grew up.  This got me thinking in the right direction and without barriers. 

Jen and I would like to have a child of our own some day and this process got me thinking about what I think we could do to give our future child the best opportunity for a happy and successful life.  I’ve come up with three things that came naturally to my parents without them even having to think about it. 

• Show them love.
• Help to build their self confidence.
• Remind them that they can do anything that they set their mind to.

It may not be that simple but I think it is a very good start.  Over the next few weeks I’m going to share my Goal Setting process in a series of blog posts.  I believe that this process has helped me to achieve much more than I would have if I had not done it at all.  It keeps me very focused on moving toward goals that are in line with my core values and helps me to think through what I really want to do with my life.  I hope it will help some of you the same way it has helped me.