Are You Limiting Yourself? This Olympian Says To “Have A Lot Of Goals”

Why limit yourself to just one goal?

You know gymnast Rosie MacLennan from her medals. (She has lots and has defended a few.) You know her from her amazing flips. (It really does defy gravity.) But what you might not know is her strategy for crushing goals. It’s pretty simple actually: Have lots of goals.

Why limit yourself to just one, when you can be all kinds of amazing! King, Ont.-born MacLennan is the 2013 World Trampoline champion, 2012 and 2016 Olympic champion, and 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games champion in the individual trampoline event. You don’t get that far by just setting yourself up for one success.

So, it should come as no surprise when we asked MacLennan about her #BHmoment that she had two.

“A recent goal that I achieved was executing a new skill- a triple front flip with 1.5 twists,” she says. Another: Partnering with Canadian Tire for their Jumpstart Charities since 2013, which gives disadvantaged Canadian access financial support to play sports. “Sport is a defining part of my life, helping me develop skills as an athlete and beyond, and I believe that all kids should have this chance,” she says.

Here we talk about how having more than one goal is necessary to being successful. (Here are five steps to achieving any goal.)

Why so many goals

“I have a lot of goals simultaneously – big and small, short-term and long-term – all related to my overarching goal of pushing myself to be a better trampolinist,” says MacLennan. And that means standing out, she adds. “The first step is creating the goal and expanding what you believe to be within the realm of possibility. Surround yourself with people who will help you get there, who motivate you and who push you to be better. I sat down with my coach and came up with a dream routine and the trick that I did was the first skill of that routine.” (Here is another Olympian sharing how she makes herself feel invincible.)

It is a lot, but that is OK

“You will make mistakes. You will mess up. You will have moments when you question why the hell you are trying what you are. You will have moments when you don’t feel like it is possible. And in those moments, it is critical to connect back to why you are trying to push towards this goal. Achieving the goal is one per cent of the experience. And – yes – it is the moment you feel elated and joy but you feel those emotions because of what that moment represents, the journey. It represents all the moments where you could have given up but you decided to keep pushing. It represents all the people that helped you get there.”

You have to be realistic, but you also have to crush doubts

“I learned you have to be imaginative and expand what you believe is possible in order to reach your best self,” she says. “It’s a matter of believing in, not only the possibility, but that you have what it takes, and will do what it takes to get there. There will be falls, there will be failure but from each of those experiences, you learn something.”

And remind yourself that it is all worth it

“I feel like a stronger and better athlete. I also think it shows that if you are dedicated and persevere, you can accomplish more than you think – but I still have yet to compete the routine so maybe that’s why I am still a bit unsatisfied.” (Check out our eight ways to becoming a stronger woman.)

As for the rest of us

MacLennan says we should: “Go for it. Chase the dream, love the journey. Fail fast, be smart, learn from your mistakes, let them make you stronger and keep pushing.”

Need some inspiration? Here are 13 books that will motivate you!