I had another great conversation recentlty about the difference between goal-setting and goal achieving; which starts in the difference between your dreams and your goals.
That big idea you have for what you want for yourself, or where you want to be in the future, is just a dream until you pick a path to achieve it. Once you set a path….. your dream becomes a goal. What are some of the things that you need to do to get closer to your goal? The first draft of your path doesn’t need to be detailed or even complete, but picking even a few steps is important because this is your goal-achieving path. It’s your guide to closing the gap between where you are now and where you want to be in the future. It’s your first and then your next step… this provides us with momentum. As you progress, your goal-achieving path will fill out, adjusting as you learn. Yes – your “to-do” list will become long (even very long), but so will your “done” list! And you’ll be moving forward step by step. Our goal-achieving path, not the goal, is our journey. Go for it!
Many years ago I saw Eckhart Tolle speak – it was a very unique experience. The audience, as requested, welcomed him with our “thundering presence” (no applause) and listened to his ideas on new age thinking. The premise of his presentation has always stuck with me – “It’s never not now”.
As he talked about this he challenged us to stay in the “now” with him, to listen to him – now. Wow… my brain started thinking of all the times in the past that I hadn’t done this, all the times I’d missed details of conversation that I was in because it triggered a memory in the past. Yikes! I was in the past, not with Eckhart now. I got back to listening and started thinking how I could apply this in future conversations and – yikes! I’d left the ‘now’ again! It was as if I had used one of the theatre’s glowing “exit” signs to leave the room. I had to focus to get back and stay back in the now. My brain needed some training to stay in the now! (It always will.)
Live in this moment. The past and the future have no depth compared to right now. So be aware of them, reflect on one and plan for the other, but be in the now. Focus on now. Make the most of your now.
Today will be what you make it. It is your story, and how it’s written depends on how you choose your perspective for seeing it. (Sort of a cup half full or half empty kind of thing… )
So – it’s a good day to have a good day right? Why couldn’t it be?!
Recently I was in Whistler BC on a ski vacation and ran into Alexa Loo, a 2x Olympic Snowboarder (2006, 2010), a CPA and now Member of City Council for Richmond BC. It was awesome to see her again, she is doing great work for her community. She reminded me of a message that I had shared with the Olympic team back in 2009. I love with this happens… a) it’s very flattering to hear that a message had such a long lasting impact – and b) it’s just fun to have ideals like this brought back to the top of the pile! In a nut shell – as you work on improving – don’t get stuck focussing on only the things you aren’t doing … be proud of what you are doing, work on that, build on that. Be motivated by what you can do, AND be motivated by the desire to do the things that you can’t (yet!) do. hmmm… maybe this is where my thoughts on focusing on your “Done List” started?!! Here it is again….
Apparently getting motivated and inspired is easy. Staying motivated and inspired… that’s the hard part!
Off-season training is a back-to-basics time; lots and lots of volume designed to build and support your strength and fitness. If you get much intensity (fun!), it comes on the back of lots of the volume and fatigue, often making the effort feel sluggish and heavy. But this is not the time to go mindlessly through the motions – it is a prime opportunity to break bad habits and entrench new efficient motions. But we all know this is easier said than done.
Sport Boards are responsible for ensuring that their members (athletes, coaches, staff) are being properly served by the Leadership (CEO, HP Director, and Head Coach) that they put in place.
Watching Hockey Canada’s CEO and Board ignore the mounting evidence being presented in media – that significant leadership change had to happen to re-establish trust for the sport to even begin a process to correct governance gaps and the sports cultural and safe-sport failings – was hard for some in other sports, like bobsleigh, gymnastics and rowing to watch. If it took repeated demands from the Federal Sport Minister, retention of millions of dollars in fees from Provincial Hockey Associations and more than 12 significant sponsors reducing, pausing or cancelling their support for hockey to achieve change – what chance do smaller sports have?
Recently Rubin Thomlinson completed a review of Rowing Canada’s High-Performance environment looking at the last (approx.) 10 years. ( +2 points for Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) for getting the review done and posting it, -5 points for how long and the effort took. )
The results of the review are posted on Rowing Canada’s web site, and the accompanying Appendix files are, frankly, shocking to me. These results should be a clear indicator to RCA board members that Rowing is not being managed well by its Leadership and that change is needed immediately. When are they going to accept the evidence that has been presented to them?
over 50% of people surveyed describe their experience with RCA’s high-performance environment as negative.
Over 85% !!! of people surveyed witnessed,experienced or heard maltreatment
Over 25% of those surveyed said they wouldn’t report maltreatment
The survey group includes athletes, staff, board members and contractors over the last 10 years;
From Appendix C of the RCA Independent High Performance Review Report
From Appendix C of the RCA Independent High Performance Review Report
From Appendix C of the RCA Independent High Performance Review Report
Why would they not report maltreatment? Fear of reprisal is a likely answer. People are afraid to report because they are afraid if they speak out, opportunities for selection/jobs and funding will be removed.
This summer, I was met with reprisal within an RCA environment. After accepting an invitation from a coach to speak to a group of rowers in their training camp (some of whom were part of the Olympic gold medal women’s eight), I was told that staff felt that my presence in a Rowing Canada camp would be a problem. For me to be unwelcome in any Canadian sport environment was shocking, and the only explanation for the staff’s concern is that the leadership was unhappy that I had signed a letter of concern, requesting an independent 3rd party review of their culture and governance. I spoke up and then got pushed out.
It was a good first step that RCA brought in Allison Forsyth, a Safe Sport expert and consultant from ITP Sport, to “support the athletes and the organization in providing a deeper level of education and a plan to rebuild Safe Sport culturally at RCA”. She is helping to recognize past and present practices that cause(d) harm and even trauma. But it doesn’t address the constant and sustained failings of RCA’s leadership that have resulted in a chronic lack of trust in RCA to respond appropriately.
Beyond governance and culture there are many other issues of concern with rowing right now. The National Team training centre is being pushed into a location that has water quality concerns, is not ready with infrastructure and is challenging for athletes to find affordable housing. The National Championships have been scheduled without input from the Canadian University Rowing Committee. The result will limit the pipeline and development of student athletes. And with a lack of National leadership and support for provincial coaching growth and development, rowing will be excluded from future Canada Games. This could result in catastrophic loss of funding to some Provincial Sport Organizations.
Rowing Canada acknowledges that its next steps is to develop an Action Plan. There are many of us that would like them to see from the evidence – that, like in Hockey, there will be no trust in the Action Plan if the same leadership that steered RCA through the past is in place for the future.
If you are a rower, parent of rower, rowing coach or rowing official and have concerns with this information – you can…
