Mindset is Everything

While talking to my coach last night and reading his earlier email I was intrigued to add input on MOTIVATION. The question was basically how do you stay motivated?

This is a scary question. IT is also, I feel very unique to the individuals. As I was speaking to coach I started to see how different I really am. I talked about setting lofty goals (@felog - Vince called them Big Hairy Audacious Goals as termed by someone else). After I got through my eloquent speech on how to set long term goals, making a plan to get to them and then using tools ie coaches and equipment, to get to them. He then simply stated, that doesn't work.

HUH!?!? Then he proceeded to tell me about setting practical goal, not soft, but hard attainable goals. The analogy was to set a goal of a 4:40 1/2 IM. An obtainable goal, won't necessarily "Win", but if it is your goal and you can control and reach it, you can control and reach the variable around it most likely because it is up to you. You can not control the people who show up, ie I am gonna win this 100 miler and then a Lance Armstrong shows up. I see his point. I have felt that disappointment.

But my point is, and I believe it to be in the same vein, that you have to have dreams. Don't you? If you don't have dreams then you don't have purpose, do you?

I have always been told that the difference between a dream and a goal is one is written. The next step is a plan. How do you get a plan, through analysis. Then you work the plan and achieve the milestones. Is there going to be disappointment, sure. But don't we learn from our mistakes? Aren't we supposed to learn from our failures? Isn't that when we see our children grow? But the key is LEARNING from our failures. Also not being afraid of the failure.

Have we become such a feel good society that we are afraid to fail? Really a participation medal for EVERYONE?

When I started training, I had to slow way down because my heart rate would jump way up. Then through training, I can now manage some pretty long runs. Coach told me on average it takes 2 years to build base. So when I go out of Zone or can not maintain I can keep it in perspective. When I am not going as fast as i think I should....Blah Blah Blah.

I guess I have come to 2 realizations. First everybody is different and as such we can not all be treated the same. Second I like to dream, and when i dream I like to dream big. So what if I fail, learn from the failure and move on. I am still better off than if I had never tried at all.