New Year Motivation!

Motivation To Start 2024 With A Bang!

When I sat down to finalise this email, I was initially going to include a personal reflection piece, something about the last 12 months and what 2023 brought and what I’m going to do differently in 2024. However, I’ve kept that in my drafts folder, as you’ve probably read a little too much about my life in our emails over the past few weeks!

I was then going to include something about 2024, resolutions, goals, new habits. Again, I was going to share some of mine. Again, it seemed a bit too self-indulgent given recent email articles. They’re not wasted though, they’ll just need to be kept on the inside cover of my new diary.

However, I did want want to keep the New Year theme, and wanted to focus on changes, on goals, on resolutions. Lots has already been written about this (or will be written about this) in various triathlon magazines or online articles. So, where to start?

I looked to music, as I often do, for some inspiration.

Let’s think about songs – or rather, specific lyrics within songs – that might inspire us to a successful year.

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Fresh Start

So you’re looking at setting new goals for 2024, making a fresh start, doing something new from January 1st and you’re ready for the challenge … then you need look no further than Nina Simone for inspiration.

“It’s a new dawn, It’s a new day, It’s a new life for me

… and I’m feeling good.”

• Nina Simone “Feeling Good”

If that’s a bit too close to the “new year, new me” approach and doesn’t do it for you, how about something from Alicia Keys?

“Clock’s on the wall, It’s now or never at all

I’m gonna give it my all, Whether I rise or fall”

– Alicia Keys “New Day”

Don’t know about you, but I’m pumped! Brilliant lyric. More? 

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Changing Approach

Last year not go to plan? In a sticky patch at the moment? A bit of Leonard Cohen’s dulcet tones for you then.

“The birds they sing, at the break of day,

Start again, I heard them say,

Don’t dwell on what has passed away

Or what is yet to be.”

• Leonard Cohen “Anthem”

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Optimism

Struggling with motivation in these dark months? Maybe a short reminder from Sia & David Guetta will help you?

“One foot in front of the other, One breath leads to another, Just keep moving.

Go, go, go,

Figure it out, figure it out, but don’t stop moving

Go go go,

Figure it out, figure it out, you can do this”

Coming back from injury? Anxious about the season ahead? Worried you’ve bitten off more than you can chew? Bob Marley has a simple, yet perfect tonic for you.

“Don’t worry about a thing,

because every little thing is going to be alright.”

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Focus On Those Goals

Ok, motivation is high. How about something to help you focus on the goals you’ve already set? It wouldn’t be one of my posts if it didn’t have a reference to Queen.

“One dream, one soul, one prize, one goal.

One golden glance of what should be”

• A Kind of Magic

Or ….

“One man, one goal one mission.

One heart, one soul, just one solution.

One flash of light, yeah one god, one vision”

• One Vision

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Go, Go, Go!

Or maybe you’re an Ironman veteran and get goosebumps every time you hear Thunderstruck by AC/DC? (The song that precedes the starting pistol at pretty much every Ironman event!). The message being “no turning back, it’s all on your shoulders, you’ve got this”. If so, this will get you going this January!

“I was caught in the middle of a railroad track

I looked round and I knew there was no turning back

My mind raced and I thought what could I do

And I knew there was no help, no help from you

Sound of the drums beating in my heart

The thunder of guns tore me apart

You’ve been Thunderstruck”

Of course, there are loads more!

I could go on and on and on, but writing and editing this – as fun as it is (and it really is!) – doesn’t get any training done! And doing some training, ladies and gentlemen, is one of my unseen New Years resolutions!