When you get to December 31st and look back on your year, what do you remember most? Is there anything you’ll remember in 20 or 30 years? Aiming to complete a challenge can give you an enormous feeling of achievement and satisfaction, and that feeling can last a lifetime.
What is a challenge though? You need a realistic chance of achieving it but it also needs to be, well, challenging!. My view is that you should also stand a realistic chance of not achieving it. One challenge I completed was my first Ironman event; I was genuinely unsure I could actually do it and worried that I would not make the time cut-off. But I did complete it and I am still proud of this.
Walking to the shops is probably not a challenge for most people. However, for some it might be. So how should you choose your challenge? My first suggestion is that it needs to be something you enjoy, if you don’t enjoy it then you will probably not do the work to get there. If you can do it with other people then you will be much more likely to succeed. You will also have the added bonus that you’ll have a shared achievement and memory with others.
Raising money for a cause that’s close to your heart is another great motivator. Not just the cause itself, but also the added impetus that you have people who will be following your progress and metaphorically, and in reality, cheering you on.
Once you’ve picked your challenge then how will you get there? Many challenges are physical but some might be purely mental, learning French would certainly be a challenge for me. The process is much the same though. You’ve got a goal and you need to create a plan to get there. If you are unsure about how to create a plan then ask for guidance. Many of my clients have goals I’m helping them to work towards.
Whatever your challenge, it is as much about the journey as to whether you achieve your challenge. Sometimes things are just not meant to be, this is the point about a challenge, you might not get there. However, the most important thing is that you tried and this is more than many people.
So don’t put it off, imagine yourself in a few years looking back at your 2026 and thinking “Wow, I did something amazing!”