Day 27: Talk to the experts

Another way to keep going to the end of your goal, and another way of getting support from others is the basis of our tip for today:

Tip 27:  Talk to the people who have got the T Shirt

Sometimes when we start out on a goal we are worried that we might make a fool of ourselves, or that the people that can do this thing that you want to do, will somehow look down on us.  As someone who coaches in our local triathlon club, one of the comments that I frequently hear from new members is, 'I don't want to hold everyone up' or 'I would like to join the run session but you'll all be so much faster than me'.  These things might even be true, but one absolutely certain way of not improving is not to start in the first place! Everyone has got to start somewhere.

However, this will not last for long.  If you have been following our tips and have been doing a 'little and often' every day, then those early feelings of  'I'm not good enough' should already have started to disappear.  If you are now feeling a bit more confident, and you can see that achieving your goal is actually possible, then start talking to the people who have been there, done that.  My experience is that whatever your goal, if you approach these people and are genuinely curious about finding out how they did it, the vast majority will not only want to give you advice but will give you lots of encouragement to keep going.

In an informal setting (like my triathlon club) you can pick up loads of hints and tips just by chatting to people, so get involved, attend sessions and events where you can chat with like-minded people.  (That's why slimming clubs can be so beneficial).  If you are approaching a particular expert, who you have never met before, I would recommend that as part of your preparation you think carefully about what questions you want to ask them.  They will want to help but their time may be short.