A few years ago I received an email from one of my athletes. In the email, the athlete asked me, “if you had three things that you said are the three things I should change for next season that WILL make me faster at my goal race, what would those three things be? I will promise to commit myself to doing them.”

This athlete wanted me to be brutally honest. In fact they wrote later in the email that if I suggested they lose 20 pounds and give up dessert, they would comply. So, I took my job seriously and thought about what this person could do to maximize success.

This turned out to be a great exercise for both me and the athlete.

I thought quite a bit about this question as I crafted my response. I had worked with this athlete for a while so I understood their personality, goals, lifestyle, likes, and dislikes. I took all of that into consideration as I wrote my “three biggest things they could change to be the best triathlete next season.”

This was such a transformative exercise in helping the athlete set goals for the next season, that I employ this with a number of my 1-on-1 athletes.

Now I challenge YOU to this question.

Take a look at yourself. I mean, really take some time to quiet your mind and look deeply into yourself.

What are THREE things you can change to set the stage for a successful 2021? Everything is fair game. Mental perspective. Physical environment. Weekly routine. Social group. Whatever…

The goal is to have three anchors to turn to when you feel yourself going off course. Three things that you want to think about when you go to bed each night, knowing that you consciously (or subconsciously) “did” that thing well.