The Five Phases of Progress

Any goal requires some level of commitment. It also requires an uncanny ability to push through when things seem to be going anywhere but up. Thinking about some of the big goals I’ve had over the past few years, I’ve seen the following pattern emerge. I’m calling them the Five Phases of Progress, though until you reach step 4, you’ll be doubting yourself the whole time.

Phase 1: Excitement
Phase 2: Challenge
Phase 3: Disillusionment
Phase 4: Progress
Phase 5: Success!

Read on for the details….

Phase 1: Excitement.

This is where everything is fun. It’s like going to a mall with a blank check. You see, this phase is all about setting some big goals and getting a plan in place to achieve it. You think of something big, crazy and fun. You imagine what it would be like to actually do it. You start telling people about. You listen to them call you crazy and just laugh back at them knowing that they “just wouldn’t understand” why you are doing it anyway.

In Phase 1, you are super-motivated by the goal. It might last a day, through usually it will last a week or two. Depending no the size of the goal, it could last a month. Typically no more than that. Taking a big goal of mine, my first Ironman Triathlon, Phase 1 lasted for a good long month.

I was incredibly motivated to train. I would wake up early and be totally excited to have a strong purpose to my life. I really identified with the goal. It gave me a strong ego boost. Other people weren’t that supportive of my goal, but that was OK. It gave me a secret, a mystery, an edge. I was OK by that and actually fueled by. Phase 1 is like riding the chairlift up Whistler Mountain on opening day.

Phase 2: Challenge.

This is where the rubber hits the road. The natural inertia that carried you through Phase 1 has finally subsided and you are left to create your own momentum. The newness wares off and old habits begin to creep back. What seemed so novel at first is now starting to become routine. A technique or strategy that might have worked through Phase 1 might be completely useless.

Phase 2 will last a few days to a week or so. This is where most people will give up on their goal. It is the first big roadblock. The way to succeed is to modify your original approach while still keeping yourself on track to achieving your goal.

For my Ironman, the challenge occurred when my work schedule (I was working 60-70 hours per week at the time) was beginning to make my goal seem unobtainable. Training 15-20 hours a week on top of a 70 hour per week (and stressful) job was not practical. Furthermore, there is very limited sunlight in Seattle during the winter and spring, and I would rarely be able to leave work until after sunset. This made going for weekday rides or runs very challenging.

Changing my approach required me to start working out in the morning (when there was still sunlight) and also sneak in midday runs. I also attended indoor cycling classes with reckless abandon! All three of these things were not normal for me but helped me break through and get through a tough few weeks at work, while making progress on my fitness.

If you want to make sure that you never miss an update to this blog, be sure to subscribe. You can add it to your feedreader, or subscribe to get updated directly to your inbox.

Phase 3: Disillusionment.

In Phase 3 you get completed jaded. While you seem to have busted through the initial challenge, you see other challenges arise. You are also able to see how much work it will really take to achieve your goal. You feel like you are really going it alone. You being to doubt the potential benefits of actually achieving your goal. You might also think that the goal will never be attainable.

This phase can last a a month or more, and actually exhibit a decline in performance or progress.

For my Ironman, this phase included a couple of injuries (my IT band and my Knee) that really set back my training. I was really run down physically and lacking motivation.

I pushed through this Phase with the help of friends, several of whom were also doing the same event as me. We kept pushing each other and called each other out when we were slacking off. I can’t reiterate enough how important it is to have a support group in place when you are trying to accomplish something big and daungting. Note that this group does not have to be your existing circle of friends or family (often times it will not be). You could find them through a local club or meetup group….or they could be more casual friends that you make it a point to keep in touch with.

Phase 4: Progress.

This is where you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Your body and mind seem to be working in harmony. You are making steady and satisfying progress. Your friends who previously use to call you crazy are now staring to make comments about how this “crazy goal of yours if actually doing you some good!” They might even start to ask you for tips for their own lives.

This phase can last for months.

For my Ironman, I reached this point when I started to see my body really change. I leaned out a lot. My energy levels started to go up. In fact, though I was always sore and somewhat tired from training, I still seemed to have more energy during the day than most others in my peer group. I also did a few “test”triathlon races to guage my fitness and was pleasantly surprised with my performances.

This is also where keeping a log (for training or fitness related goals) or journal (for other goals) can be handy. You can look back and really see how far you have come.

Phase 5: Success!

This is when you have achieved what you sought out to accomplish. People who were your staunchest objectors are now giving you props. You realize that all the work you went through was worth it….so much so….that you will often intent to embark on another big journey all over again! In my case, I signed up to race another Ironman the following year.

————-

So, I hope you’ve found this write-up useful. While it is simply based on my own experience, I think we are all far more in common than we might want to admit. Have you experienced these Five Phases in your own life?

If you want to make sure that you never miss an update to this blog, be sure to subscribe. You can add it to your feedreader, or subscribe to get updated directly to your inbox.

Related posts:

1. Static Push Ups: making major progress
2. Consistency in Training = Progress
3. Push Up Holds: Progress Check-In
4. Make Progress By Pushing Through
5. Push Up Max Check In
6. 12 Week Challenge
7. Time Management