Your Personal Cred
If you have read a few of my articles recently you will know that around eight weeks ago I started a new running group for the total non-exerciser/ runner. It’s called Get up to Five and it’s all about getting this group of people from walking to running 5k in eight weeks.
Last weekend we had the final 5k run day. The coaching team and I were like proud parents as all the crew managed to cross the line with big smiles on their faces to complete their 5k runs, we were extra proud that none of them stopped for the whole run!
In creating Get up to Five we really focused on making it an achievable programme that built people’s believe in their ability in an environment that provided support, education and was always fun.
The week before we did our 5k run we had our last seminar. This was a reflective session that focused on reinforcing the lessons that they had learnt over the past eight weeks. Before the seminar I thought I knew what most of the benefits were and could predict the responses from the crew, but the very first response from one of the Get up to Fivers was a benefit that I had never thought of.
Stella, a friendly determined South African lady put her hand up and said. ‘I’ve finished something. For so many years I’ve signed up for gym memberships, weight loss products and brought exercise equipment telling my friends and family that this was the answer. They had learnt to be dismissive of these short lived fads as I never followed through. For the first time in years I have completed a fitness goal I have set out to do’. She had hit a note with many of the others as the whole group started agreeing and sharing their similar experiences.
Some of you may have heard of the term ‘personal credibility’. In my mind this means that what you say you are going to do and what you actually do is shown in your actions. For people who are trying to create change in their lives they often promote what it is that they want to become, this will often come from an inspired moment of motivation. But almost as soon as the words leave their mouths they aren’t doing the actions. This has negative impacts as it can make them feel like a fraud.
Maybe a better way to approach change is to be realistic and set small targets that you know you can achieve based on where you are right now. Express small steps and build your personal credibility from there. You could also find environments that will help you be successful based on where you are right now, like www.getuptofive.co.nz ;-)
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