Think Small (Lessons from my marathon pt. 3)

Ever set a BIG goal? If you are like me, you tend to choose HUGE goals that seem to overwhelm you. Our tendency is to become emotionally overwhelmed by the audacity of the goal - sometimes resulting in abandoning the goal because "it is just too big."

I was determined not to allow this to happen to me during my marathon training. Keep in mind, I was trying to go from NOT running at all to running a marathon (26.2 miles) in only 6 months. That's pretty audacious! So, I took an approach that translates very well into just about ANY goal. Hopefully, you can use this method the next time you take on a massive goal!

LESSON #3 - THINK SMALL

I took my massive goal and broke it up into many small parts (smaller, achievable goals that led to the BIG goal). I decided I would FIRST try to run a 5K. So, I did the "Couch to 5K" training app. It added just a little bit of distance every run. I ran in my first 5K race at the end of that 8 weeks. Then, I did a half marathon training, again adding a little bit of distance each time. Ultimately, shifted into the full marathon training.

Even as I ran, I set small goals. "OK, I am running to the end of the block." When I reached the end of the block, I said to myself, "OK, I running to that light pole up the road." When I reached the light pole, I picked another object up the road that was my "goal."

Ultimately, I didn't achieve ONE GIANT GOAL of running a marathon. In reality, I achieved hundreds of mini goals.

You can take this approach in just about any area of your life: reading, health, prayer, writing, Bible study, etc. Simply begin to question what specific actions you need to take in order to achieve the long-term goal. These specific actions will become your "mini goals," which will make your ultimate goal measurable and achievable in the long-term. (i.e. don't decide to "write a novel", make a decision to "write one page per day")

As you begin to complete each action or "mini goal" on the journey towards your ultimate BIG goal, you will start to feel a sense of self-control that you may not have had before. It's amazing how being able to check off a smaller target on your list will act as a positive reinforcement, which will in turn boost your self-esteem and encourage you to keep going!!!

So, what BIG goal have you avoided because it was just TOO BIG? Try working backwards. Write down the BIG GOAL, break it up into smaller goals (steps), and start working on STEP ONE.

Time to share. What BIG goal have you put off? What is ONE step you think you can do to get you moving in that direction? Share in the comments section. Let's motivate each other!!

Related Posts:

Lessons From My Marathon Pt. 1