I'll start by saying that I'm not a jogger. Up until recently I practically abhorred it. My intuition, however, told me that maybe it was time to spice up the exercise routine on those days when I couldn't make it to dance or fitness class. So I obliged.
Last week I decided to take on the challenge and embarked on a pretty straightforward trail. I had set a goal for jogging 6 minutes without stopping. The end of those 6 minutes would lead me to the bottom of a fairly steep incline, about 0.8 mile into the trail, where I could continue my workout with a brisk walk. I put on some good music and set out on a light to moderate jog.
I freaked out a smidge when I looked at the end goal. The incline was so far away. Keeping my gaze on that focal point would’ve led to relegating my jog to a walk. And that I didn’t want to do. What I did instead was scan the trail for the next "milestone" up to 500 feet in front of me. Once I established that milestone I redirected my sight to the ground in front of my feet. As I kept my focus just ahead of me, I kept passing those milestones – trash barrel, turn in the road, Porta Potty. Before I knew it, I had reached the bottom of the incline. I even jogged up the incline a little, having already surpassed the big goal.
I plan to remember this literal gaze-goal-setting experience in all my endeavors. It’s so much easier to focus on the smaller markers than it is to keep the big kahuna in my view at all times. My confidence was up and I ended up jogging another 6 minutes during that workout. I even did a faster jog/run spurt a few times during the end.
Now let’s talk about practical application:
- Think of a goal you’re currently working on. If you don’t have one, think of something you’d like to achieve in the next 2 years.
- What could your smaller milestones be?
“Inch by inch, life’s a cinch. Yard by yard, life’s hard.” – John Bytheway
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