This is the time of year we think about setting goals… some do it with great enthusiasm and others think it’s a bunch of garbage because dedication to goals don’t last past January. (check out Thom Singer’s post on goals and action items)
Two years ago I ripped my calf. It was pretty bad and I was laid-up, on a couch and with crutches, for SIX painful weeks. It was really bad.
Last year, about this time, I decided I would walk 500 miles in 2010.
It was a damn-the-torpedos goal… I hadn’t worked out much since I got laid off and it was taking a toll on my health and how I felt.
I started on January 2nd, 2010, walking 3.2 miles. In Utah’s freezing cold I sludged through the snow, walked on ice and made this a top priority.
Most days I walked 3.2 miles, some days I added a bit more, and some days I got up to about 7 miles.
It took time but I really needed to make this happen. And I really wanted to hit my 500 mile goal.
By Spring I felt great and saw some unexpected results. It was awesome and I was easily on the way to hit my goal. I started to dream about hitting 600 miles, and sometimes thought about picking up the pace and hitting 1,000 miles in a year.
And then, sometime during the summer I had some pain in the calf that I had ripped. I took some time off.
A while later I felt sick and took more time off.
In October I finished my first week of walking every day, Monday through Saturday, 4 miles each day (24 miles in a week). Again, I was on track.
I got back from my walk that Saturday morning and, well, long story short, missed the last step on my basement stairs and twisted my ankle.
For the first time I had doubt about hitting my 500 miles.
Here we are on December 31st and, well, honestly, I can hit my goal.
IF I WALK 150 MILES TODAY.
That isn’t going to happen.
So I failed.
Or did I?
In 2009 I walked probably 10 miles the whole year.
In 2010 I walked about 350 miles.
Is that a failure?
I feel like it is a failure.
On the other hand, I walked 350 miles! It was awesome! I did 35 times more than I did last year. I’m in better shape than I have been in for a while. I did something for myself (and not just my business)… it was empowering!
Was it a failure?
I didn’t hit my goal of 500, so technically I failed. But I feel it was a success because I did a lot more than I would have done.
I set my sights on the moon, missed, but still hit a few stars.
So, do you set goals or not? Is it a waste of time if you work towards it, make good progress, get value, grow, but miss the goal? (the answer probably depends on your personality :p)
My new goal for 2011: Walk 500 miles. Starting January 3rd.
What’s your goal?
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