Setting goals is vital in accomplishing bigger things in life — this, we know to be true. In fact, some studies have suggested that people who write down their goals achieve them far more frequently than those who don’t. But is finding enjoyment in fitness all about goals? It can’t be. Otherwise, when our goals take longer than we want to reach, we’re unhappy; on the flip side, when we squash them and then have nothing to work toward next, we once again find ourselves unsatisfied. So, what’s the correct approach? CrossFit Games athlete Patrick Vellner has the secret: stop and smell the flowers.

In an Instagram post, Vellner explained how you can set goals and work toward progress and still find ways to enjoy the journey. In truth, learning how to have fun while you chase your dreams is imperative to your success and overall wellness. Here’s how he explains it.

In Crossfit we talk rather exhaustingly about enjoying the process of training. It’s a simple statement, but is sometimes harder to grasp than we would like. Things don’t always go well and frankly aren’t always fun, so where do we find our enjoyment? My brother @jvellner recently posted an article titled “The Goal and the Game” that shed some light on it for me (link in bio). Approach is everything, and simply setting goals is not enough. Even for those of us with the most clear cut goals it can become frustrating if we don’t make fast progress, or frankly even boring if we’re reaching our goals quickly and easily. Enter the game. It’s important to relax and have some fun while attaining our goals. Stop and smell the flowers, celebrate small victories, take on new and different challenges and share moments with friends. Make time for fun. It applies to all areas of life. Success is most fun when it is shared anyways. So don’t be in too big of a hurry to look up from your work occasionally and deviate from your routine, have a beer with some friends, just smile. Enjoy the game. Give the article a read If you’re interested. @jvellner relates the concept to his work in cirque du soleil, and life in general. #enjoytheprocess #thegoal #thegame #motivation #mindset #crossfit #crossfitgames #exerciseracing #findyourwhy #gamesbound2017 #reebokcanada #beanathlete #makeitcount #bemorehuman #proenergyfit @reebokcanada @hatlex_canada @forging_heroes @proenergynutrition @crossfit @crossfitgames

A post shared by Patrick Vellner (@pvellner) on Jun 28, 2017 at 10:17am PDT

Main image: Patrick Vellner/Facebook