Real David H.

Success or failure. Check mark or an X mark. Why do we do this to ourselves with goals? Goals are meant to be set or missed, sure, but why can’t they be adjusted or moved around so they fit our always changing environments around us?

I’m ready to throw out the imaginary rule book with goals and start adjusting if necessary, moving them if things come up like health issues, and then setting new ones when one is completed (or missed at the end of my allotted time frame). In a weird way, this tweet from Phil Mickelson prior to his big win on Sunday is helping guide these changes in thought for me.

I’ve failed many times in my life and career and because of this I’ve learned a lot. Instead of feeling defeated countless times, I’ve used it as fuel to drive me to work harder. So today, join me in accepting our failures. Let’s use them to motivate us to work even harder.

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) May 11, 2021

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For far too long I’ve set up myself for failure with my goals. It’s hurt my mental approach to running. When I don’t hit my goals, I just want to hide. Last month, I set 6 goals to accomplish by the end of May. Things started off well, but then I got sick for a couple of weeks that derailed a few things. Why let some of these goals fail because things happened well beyond my control? It’s not worth my energy anymore to “start over” or sit down and figure out why things went so wrong. Instead, I’ll move around and tweak things to help keep my mind at ease.

Here’s where things stand with my goals now:

DONE

☑️ Start a run before 7 a.m.

☑️ Write 3 blog entries

STILL A CHANCE

🔲 Start and finish a run before 7 a.m. (3-mile minimum, which is an addition)

🔲 Lift weights twice a week in May

🔲 Lose 5 pounds

REVISING (NOW BY THE END OF JUNE)

🔲 Get my long run back to 6 miles (originally 5 miles by the end of June, but my sickness disrupted that)

NEW (BY THE END OF JUNE)

🔲 Develop a training plan for the Richmond Marathon

🔲 Write 3 more blog entries