Around here, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we are curious... Curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. -Walt Disney
What happens once you’ve climbed to the top of the mountain and achieved that long term goal?
For example, high school athletes work extremely hard to get recruited by a college team and to receive an athletic scholarship. Once they've achieve their goal, many aren’t prepared for what to do next.
Here are tips for what to do next:
a. Celebrate your achievements and all the hard work that went into accomplishing this milestone.
b. Reflect on the process and what you learned along the way. Recognize how this journey has helped you grow.
c. Recharge and rejuvenate before you dive back in. Step away for a moment, be it a week, month, etc... This will allow you to come back with a fresh perspective. During this time, you can even reconnect with other things that define who you are, like tackling other interests or things that were put on the back burner.
d. The crossroad. There comes a time when you feel like you’ve done it all and there isn’t anything left to prove or give. If that is you, it’s ok to stop and shift to something else, like retiring as an athlete to become a coach.
e. Itch is still there. If you are still motivated to compete in your sport, set your sights on creating your next milestone to work toward. For example, it was interesting to find out that Roger Federer, in his later years, would choose tournaments to play based on places he and his family would want to visit. He used tournaments as opportunities to vacation and explore, as well as to compete.
f. Pay it forward. Whether you decide to walk away or keep going, give back to your sport / community.
This can include, helping others accomplish their goals. This serves a dual purpose. One, it allows others to learn from your successes and challenges. Two, it will help you to gain insight toward finding your next goal or thing that motivates you.
In the end, the adage that "It's all about the journey, not the outcome," is important to remember. When you take a moment to recalibrate, you are giving yourself time and room to find and define your next adventure (target your next goal). In turn, when you are able to set your sights on you next goal, you are then able to create the road map to get there. When you have direction, you have motivation because you know where you want to go.
Stay motivated, strong, curious, humble, and hungry!