12 Comments

I have always been a person who likes to set a challenging goal and work towards it consistently. It is part of the fun for me.

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That's a good attitude, John. Is that true for other areas of your life besides MTB/physical exercise?

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My recent 'goals' have just been to ride more, either due to recovering from injury or to try and build my general fitness. I used to set more specific goals in the early days of RLC (eg learn to wheelie) but got disillusioned by failures to gain the desired skill.

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Dogtank, I think you'll be interested in the post about goals, as there's a way to avoid disillusionment while still having a specific goal.

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I have a goal of being able to ride a wheelie for 100 yards. I've created sub goals of 10 yards, 25 yards, 50 yards, etc. It definitely helps keep discouragement at bay to focus on the next sub goal. The same applies to my goal of bunny hoping 24" consistently and correctly.

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Butch, do you also have goals for achieving 'chunks' of those skills?

https://mtbpracticelab.substack.com/p/chunk-your-way-to-learning-mtb

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Thanks for that link! I have some specific targets for some chunks for none for others. I'll be setting some targets for the "chunks" that are currently open-ended.

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Looking forward to reading more about the science of long-term goal setting for mtb!

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I'm glad to hear that, Paige. I know it's going to help me with my own long-term goal-setting to write it!

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Yes Griff. When I have taken the various personality assessments out there I always come out as some version of being driven by achievement. I guess it is just the way I am wired.

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Seems like my MTB goals are always taking a backseat to either work or home priorities! Is rather frustrating Griff!

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It's the curse of having a normal life, Renee!

I'm sometimes irritated by one of my current priorities to get in better shape. The resistance, mobility, and aerobic exercises detract from my desire to ride and practice more. And yet, if I don't do them, my ability to ride and practice will diminish. It's hard to be grateful for this problem which is a very good problem to have!

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