Maybe you’ve seen it in the comments sections of your Instagram. “Oh my GOD. Your hair is #goals. Your dress is #goals. Your life is #goals.” Jake Lloyd DEFINITELY has seen all three. In an attempt to not sound trite and call this a New Year’s resolution post, let’s talk about goals. We set the bar high in 2016. For a look back at our incredible year, see our recap.
Now that we’ve all ruminated on how amazing/terrible/horrendous/life-changing 2016 was, let’s look ahead to 2017. What do we as #NP_DC want to accomplish? A lot.
- RECRUITMENT.
A lot of us, myself included, have been fortunate to join a Tribe as big and lively as #NP_DC. I’ve never known what it’s like to show up and be surrounded by two other people. And while there is definitely something to be said for the intimacy of a 15 or 20 person workout, I think we can all agree things are a little more fun with 75 friends there. In order to keep this movement alive, we have to get back to the OG recruiting methods. Talk to a stranger, maybe the person you’re sharing your Uber pool with (shoutout, Chris Gray & Ahman). Write a message on the sidewalk with chalk about where our next workout is taking place. Social media messages, unless super creative or totally out there or COMPLETELY HYPE AF!!! (shoutout J Keys of NP Indy) aren’t going to grab anyone’s eye.
If that doesn’t get your blood going, you need to check your pulse.
Need some tips on recruiting? We’ve got you covered. Check out part one and part two. Guys, we live in a city of 600,000 people. There are a TON of humans that have not #JustShownUp yet. Think of your life pre-NP. Can you even remember it? What did you used to look forward to on Tuesdays? It’s on us to get out there, spread the word, and try and get this movement into the hearts and minds of others.
2. GET SOCIAL
Okay, this one is super fun and less work. We love you guys. We want to see more of you. More importantly, we want to parade this fun factory all around town so people notice us and want to join in. Our goal for this year is to do one social event every two months. You are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to hang out outside of NP hours, just remember to be inclusive. Have a cool idea for a social event? Let us know. While we love keggers and raging as much as the next guy, it would be sweet to have some variation among social events. Laser tag? Movie night? I don’t know what the kids are into these days, please help.
I am happy to announce, here, for the first time, in this blog, that our opening NP SOCIAL event of the season is going to be a fucking mystery. Not like the locked in a room and you need to solve a bunch of clues kind. Like you show up somewhere and we transport you (via the magic of running) to somewhere else. Stay tuned for details.
3. ENGAGE OUR CITY
We are fortunate to live, work, and play in Washington, D.C. There’s a reason our Founding Fathers chose this place for our nation’s capitol (Listen to the Hamilton soundtrack, you’ll understand). Watching the sunrise from the each of the four quadrants is a spectacular experience every Monday, Wednesday and Friday- and we should aim to share that with as many Washingtonians as possible.
To satisfy this goal, we’re trying to spread the love around the District. Notice our NOrThwest campaign going on for Fridays during January. Some wards we rarely hit. Part of this is exploring new areas and getting a feel for D.C. as a whole, the other part is making NP accessible to those who may not normally come out to Meridian or Lincoln. It can already be intimidating to try a workout for the first time. We want to meet people where they are. Literally, figuratively, physically, geographically- you get the idea. Want to help us? Write/Tweet/Send a carrier pigeon to your council-member (you can find out who that is, here) asking them to come to a workout when we’re in their area. See #1 for more tips.
Like I said, D.C. is a special place to be able to inhabit- we owe it to ourselves to explore every inch of this space, and to engage our neighbors.
4. GIVE THE PEOPLE A VOICE
Hearing Steve, Jake and myself blather on at workouts and online is I’m sure, thrilling, for all of you. For those of you not totally enraptured with our announcements and blogs, we’re giving you a chance to grab the mic. Or in this case, our WordPress account. We’re hoping to accomplish the goal of having one guest blog per month. Something AWESOME happens to you at a workout? We want to hear about it. You met your ABSOLUTE BEST FRIEND IN THIS GALAXY at November Project? Rad, write a blog. Even if it’s completely unrelated to NP and you just feel like you want a soapbox (content permitting, kids read this blog, you guys). In all seriousness, we want people to have a space to share, tell their story and inform the Tribe about ANYTHING. If you are interested in writing a guest blog, let us know. We would LOVE to hear from you.
5. FLOTUS BEFORE PAPI
That’s right, I’m carrying this goal over into 2017. If anything, I feel more confident than ever that Michelle will be attending a workout soon. In two weeks, she’ll be a regular civilian again, trying to fill her calendar. This is the time to strike. Let’s ramp up those efforts. I know I’m asking you to do a lot of writing, but it’s good for your brain (maybe, I’m not a doctor). Tweet/Facebook/Instagram WHATEVER IT TAKES. Every time FLOTUS refreshes any social media feed, I want her to have a notification about November Project. C’mon guys, let’s fucking do this.
Wow, that was a lot. 2017 is about to be one hell of a year, thanks for being along for the ride. If you made it all the way down here, good on ya, comment on the FB post #GOALS so everyone knows you read the whole thing.
GET OUT THERE AND SPREAD THOSE GOOD VIBES!!!
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