Are you dedicated to achieving your goals or easily swayed away from them? There are decision points along the way to your goal that will test your determination. I had one of those points this weekend.
I am participating in a training program to prepare myself to run a full marathon at the end of April. Every Saturday, we have a long run (10 or more miles) that we run as a group. We are grouped with other at our same run pace. This weekend, we were scheduled for 15 miles.
The temperature for these runs lately has been in the 20s at the start of the run. This run was forecasted as 26 degrees and a chance of snow flurries. Friday evening, I dropped off my car at a shop to get some work done on Saturday while I was on my run. I was planning on taking my truck to the run. I got out to warm up the truck and it was sleeting. The truck would not start.
The thought of going back to bed and doing the run later in the day, on my own, crossed my mind. My son just happened to be home for the night and would go into work after lunch. After trying to jump start the truck, I figured out that it was not a battery problem and it was not going anywhere. I decided that I wanted to still get my run in, regardless of the weather. I borrowed his car.
When I got to the meeting place for the run, I was met by the training leader and informed that the run was cancelled. I quickly thought about going back home. He told me that one of my running partners was there and she and a few others were planning on running anyway. My mind was made up. I was going to run. There were about a dozen runners that started down the road in the cold and windy weather. The snow had stopped with just a dusting. We accomplished our goal of 15 miles.
There are two main points to my story in regards to accomplishing your goals.
1. What is your level of commitment? Are you easily swayed from what needs to be done to reach your goals?
2. Have people around you that will hold you accountable. Seeing my running partner there convinced me that I needed to run that morning. She told me afterwards that if I had not stayed and ran; she probably would not have run the full 15 miles.
What decision points have you had in your pursuit of your goals? What decision did you make? Share your comments below to help others with their own motivation. This Bible verse comes to mind.
2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV) I have fought the good fight, I finished the race, I have kept the faith.
