On Goal Setting

I like thinking about goal setting.  I am returning to this concept, having written about it this summer on my old blog, Training for a Cause, because it's so important to revisit your goals on an on going basis.

Goals are not something you set and forget.  If you want to achieve your goals you must remain focused on them like a laser.   Every time you check in on your progress towards a goal you move one step closer to success.

Set goals that will push you beyond what you think you can accomplish.

I read this once in some training materials that I received from my employer.  Goal setting is something that applies to every aspect of our lives, not just our professional life.  Whether it's completing repairs around your house over a weekend or training for months to run a marathon.  You set a goal to challenge yourself so that when you reach your goal you can be proud of your efforts.

The alternative is to set goals that are easy.  Where is the challenge in that?  If you know you can do it without much effort then why do it?

I have always striven to achieve goals that are beyond what I thought I could achieve.  For example, when I was a senior in high school my guidance councilor directed me towards colleges that were "easy" to get into.  I thought she was nuts!  Yeah, you have to have a safety school (one you are guaranteed to get into) but I decided to shoot for much harder schools.  I did that and got into one of my reach schools, Skidmore College.  Once there I continued this trend.  Now as an adult I continue to stretch myself by reaching outside of my comfort zone to achieve more than I originally thought possible

Doc Emmet Brown, the crazy doctor who invented a time machine out of a DeLorean in the 1985 movie Back to the Future, would say "if you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything."  I'll amend that to include your body too.  Happy running!  No go out and achieve something!