Why Your Big Goal is Like a Piñata
Every miss gets you closer, so keep swinging.
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Let’s go back to your childhood for a second.
Remember when you were a kid at a birthday party?
There was probably a brightly colored, paper mache piñata filled with candy, dangling high in a tree, waiting to be whacked with a stick until it released its goodies to the excited party-goers waiting below.
But here’s the thing.
Nobody expects the piñata to break on the first try. And when it doesn’t break on the first hit, do you just give up? Of course not!
You keep swinging again, and again, and again.
Sometimes you miss. Sometimes you catch the corner and it spins around, so you adjust the approach.
Every subsequent hit weakens the exterior just a bit, bringing you ever closer to the sweet surprise that awaits inside.
But in this case, the piñata isn’t a piñata at all. The piñata represents your goals.
Your goal to do a triathlon.
Your goal to get better at open water swimming.
Your goal to run a faster half marathon.
To go to college, start a business, focus on your health, build better relationships, ect.
No matter what your goal might be, using the piñata principle will provide a new perspective. It will help you stay motivated, overcome obstacles, avoid frustration, and persevere until you reach the sweet center you’re searching for.
*Paid subscribers, scroll to the end for your bonus video: Behind the Scenes: Two Times I Totally Missed the Piñata (And What I Learned)
You won’t get it on the first try- that’s normal.
Just like no one expects to bust open a piñata on the first try, your first attempt at doing a triathlon, getting a run PR, or mastering open water swimming probably won’t be perfect either. That’s normal.
Obstacles and near-misses are all part of the process. Early failures don’t mean you aren’t cut out for it. It simply means you’re trying something new and learning from each attempt.
Often times, it takes adjustments, recalculations, and even mindset shifts to get closer to the end goal you seek.
Every swing counts- even the near-hits and misses
I can’t entirely take credit for this metaphor, as I saw a pro triathlete reference it a while back. She said that every training session and every race, whether it goes well or not, weakens the exterior of her piñata just a bit.
Instead of dwelling on the success she hasn’t had yet, or the near-misses that almost hit the mark, she’s confident that each swing brings her closer to where she wants to be.
You’re building skills and resilience with each attempt. That’s progress, even if you don’t see the results right away.
Even the total misses- when you screw up your nutrition or go out too hard on the run- are valuable. With these experiences comes knowledge. You learn what works and what doesn’t so you can refine your approach for next time.
You might get frustrated, but keep swinging
Just like the blindfolded kid spinning in circles, swinging wildly at a dangling piñata just out of reach, you’ll have moments of frustration and even embarrassment. But if your goal is worthy (something big and hard and scary) that’s to be expected.
If it’s easy to achieve a goal, was it really even worth it?
If you didn’t have to struggle and strive and scrimp and save to accomplish your dreams then perhaps you didn’t set the bar high enough.
You could quit, but then you’ll never know what you might have been able to achieve if you’d only stuck with it just a bit longer.
You don’t have to get it on the first try. You just have to keep trying.
Stop obsessing over the perfect swing. Just keep swinging.
No one says, “I’m going to break this piñata in exactly 5 swings, each at 10 mph, and a 45° angle.” That would be absurd. Yet athletes often do the same with goal-setting. They pin their success on arbitrary numbers, hoping race day goes as planned.
Here’s a secret. Race day never goes as planned.
Whether your goggles fill up with water in the swim, you lose a bottle on the bike, your legs cramp on the run, or your stomach decides to revolt, the likelihood is very high that at some point during the race, something will go wrong. The likelihood increases as the race distance gets longer (think 70.3 and Ironman).
If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will. This isn’t to scare you. It’s to prepare you.
Especially in triathlon, athletes often set goals like, ”I want to finish under 12 hours” or I want to average X pace on the run.” While those goals might seem motivating, they’re outcome-focused, and outcome goals are slippery…
Weather, course conditions, and race-day chaos can throw off your precious predictions in a heartbeat. And then what are you left with?
Like trying to hit a piñata with a precise number of swings at a calculated velocity, it’s unrealistic- and unnecessary. Focus on what you can control: your effort level, your preparation, your efficiency.
Focus on the swing itself: solid, strong, and well-timed. That’s what cracks the piñata.
You don’t need a perfect swing. You just need to keep swinging. Keep showing up, swinging with intention, and trust that something will crack open.
Eventually, the piñata will crack—and it’s so worth it.
When the breakthrough finally happens—whether it’s crossing the finish line or conquering a fear—it feels amazing, because of the journey you went through to get to that point.
All the struggles and near-misses make the end result even more worth it, because you didn’t give up. You kept on swinging.
I’d be willing to bet you’re much closer to a breakthrough than you think…
Just take one more swing at that piñata.
Don’t forget to grab your copy of the new e-book: Tri Smarter, Not Harder: 50 Essential Tips For Every Triathlete. It’s a collection of must-know info to improve your swim, bike, run, transition, and nutrition.
I wrote this e-book, because I believe every triathlete should have access to quality education, regardless of whether they can afford coaching or not.
News & Notes
The two kittens we found on our bike ride last weekend are doing great! They’re 9 weeks old and have been to the vet and had their shots. They currently love playing with shoelaces, eating lots of snacks, and cuddling.
We’re going to Marbella, Spain! Matt received some exciting news last week. He received a slot to the 70.3 Ironman World Championships following his performance at 70.3 Gulf Coast. Because of the storm at the race, the awards ceremony was cancelled, so he received a slot via e-mail. We talked to our coaches and had to decide if it was the best move for this year, since we have 2 other races planned. (Also, full-time jobs, a mortgage, adult responsibilities, ect.) We decided we could swing it, so we’re going to Spain! Matt is one of the hardest-working people I know- balancing his medical career with our triathlon hobby and being an amazing husband. I’m very proud of him.
Paid Subscribers: If you missed our monthly expert chat with pro triathlete, Grace Alexander, don’t worry! We’ve figured out a great method for taping these calls so we can provide a replay. Coming soon, look for a page on the blog where you can watch all the monthly video chats, if you can’t attend live.
🔒 Paid Subscriber Bonus
Behind the Scenes: Two Times I Totally Missed the Piñata (And What I Learned)
Paid subscribers get access to this video where I talk about raw, real lessons from my own missed swings that led to triathlon breakthroughs.
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