#4 How one woman achieved her stretch goal, and how you can too!

by | Nov 13, 2020 | Goals

“Impossible dreams challenge us to rise above who we are now to see if we can become better versions of ourselves.”  Emily Harrington

How do you go about achieving your BIG goals – those that are truly tied to your passions and your heart. The kind of goals that feel overwhelming just to think about, the kind that give you that tight feeling in your stomach.

People achieve their big goals and break records all the time and they do it by having a plan for not just reaching the goal, but every step of the way including what do in the in the face of adversity.

I recently read about how Emily Harrington broke a record last week, by being the first woman to free climb El Capitan, the infamous 3000 ft. granite face in Yosemite National Park, and she did it in under 24 hours – a feat that usually takes 4-6 days!

In my FaceBook Live this week, I did a deeper dive into her accomplishment and broke down the 5 things that she mentions when speaking about how she achieved her goal which included:

  1. Setting a stretch goal regardless of how realistic it seems. Emily continued to train and work toward this goal even though it seemed beyond her capabilities initially.
  1. Having resolve in the face of a setback or adversity, and the resilience to continue on. This was Emily’s 4th attempt at this climb and during this time, she fell 2 times in the same place and was injured, bleeding from her head. She talks about how discouraged she was and felt like quitting, but she found her resolve in the face of adversity and continued anyway, keeping her big goal top of mind.
  1. Stay focused and in the present moment. Emily enjoyed the process and stayed in the present moment as she climbed each section keeping her end goal in site. “I wanted to find my limit and exist in it and fight beyond it”
  1. Have a great team of support. Emily had a team of people supporting her, on the ground that day, on the ropes and during training.
  1. Have gratitude and be sure to celebrate each success along the way. Emily had deep gratitude for the process, the people and the support she received.

So, when you are looking at a big goal that you know is going to be challenging and seems out of reach, remember these 5 things that are sure to help you get there.

Keep on moving, one baby step at a time!

Kim