Thursday, February 9, 2012

This took me 48 seconds to read!!!

This morning as I started my day, getting ready to tackle the 19 mile run I got to thinking about other goals. 

I have been a big believer in taking any goal and breaking it down to it's smallest measurable part.  We can do this with any goal.  The idea being to make what you want to do easy, thus inevitable.  To quote Og Mandino, we build our castle on brick at a time.

This morning the thought came to me about doing the same thing with the time-frame.  What if we took any goal and broke it down to the smallest measurable chunk of time.  This would make any goal we set for ourselves not only easy, but virtually guaranteed. Let me take on one of the most difficult goals for most people.  Reducing body-fat!  In order to do this we need to eat clean(er).  So I ask you, what is more realistic/achievable/motivating/do-able...?  Eating clean for the next six months or the next hour?  You may argue that an hour does not matter in the long run, I would counter back that the next hour is all that ever matters!

So when I run today, I will not set the goal of running for almost four hours or even an hour for that matter (on a treadmill).  I will break it down to the smallest measurable chunk of time that to me feels truly effortless... one minute.

I challenge you to think of any other goal that you cannot apply this thought process to if you really tried.
 
If you need other examples, let me know and I will get back to you.

Jeffrey J. Miller
Extreme marathoner
Future New York Times best selling author
of "The 365 Day Challenge"
@jeffreyjmiller1
www.booksbyjeff.com

4 comments:

  1. I've been doing that for awhile...I would tend to agree with you, esp. on long bike rides!

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  2. This is a very good insight - maybe it'll help me be less nervous for my second marathon!

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    1. It will help - you just have to remember to remember!!

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  3. Found your blog...read this first entry and agree so much with what you're saying. I struggle with eating clean, and I can't mentally deal with the limitations of declaring, "I'm going to eat clean this whole week!" I have to literally break it down to each time I am hungry and what I choose at that moment to fuel my body with. Meal by meal, snack by snack. One at a time. Thanks!

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