Have you recently come across information that made you scratch your head in wonder and ask: “why?” “Why would anyone want to do this?” It just happened to me last week when I listened to the Ali on the Run Show (episode 613) with Deirdre Keane, a pediatric ICU nurse in NYC and a 2023 World Marathon Challenge finisher. In 7 years, only 164 participants have completed the challenge.
My intention for March was to celebrate both National Women’s History Month and National Reading Month by sharing an inspirational quote from a female author for each day in March. But perhaps writing about a female runner completing an incredible running feat, 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 different continents, will be a good start. Deirdre exemplifies that there is power in bringing dreams into existence.
This podcast story really got me thinking about goal-setting and why some people set crazy ambitious goals for themselves. This question took me back to my favorite childhood book (and TV series) Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. I loved Pippi and her daring adventures. She made me believe that anything was possible with her bold let’s-do-it attitude, captured by her famous line: “I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that.” Setting Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs) is the ultimate act of optimism, believing in one’s ability and having the confidence to take the leap in any endeavor. It requires us to think big and create a plan for success. HARD goals (Heartfelt, Ambitious, Rewarding, and Difficult) give us the gift of inspiration and take us on a journey as we try, against all odds, to turn our dream into reality. It’s not necessarily about the outcome but rather about the sense of adventure. Even if we don’t end up achieving our goal, the persistent pursuit of unattainable goals does lead to higher achievements. The grind definitely makes us progressively stronger as we develop powerful habits.
Life’s journey is about rising to challenges. Self-growth is about stepping up and saying “this is worth failing at, so, let’s do it.” The real win is the personal transformation. When we go after a BHAG, we have to get real with ourselves as we put together a plan and build self-leadership habits in the pursuit of meaningful endeavors. Speaking of endeavors, my husband has been doing karate for years. When he joins classes at home, I can hear him reciting the dojo kun at the end of a training session. The dojo kun states the basic philosophy of karate, and the way my husband explains it, a reminder of why he trains. One of the five principles is “Endeavor.” No matter what you choose to do and accomplish, endeavor to give it one hundred percent in order to learn and grow. It’s not about attaining the goal but rather the quest for continuous self-improvement, the never-ending strive to become better today than you were yesterday. The greater victory is not the big goal achieved but rather what you learn and who you become on your journey towards excellence.
To continuously become a better, stronger version of yourself, you need to continuously raise the bar and challenge yourself. The first step is to set stretch goals; those high-effort and high-risk targets that are slightly beyond your current capacity. Working to achieve a stretch goal is the second step. And this is where most people stumble. Stumbling happens when you become distracted and unfocused. It happens not because the goal is truly out of reach, but rather when you give up on it too quickly facing unexpected obstacles and setbacks. The key to success is realizing a stretch goal is more about the experience than the outcome. It requires reframing stumbling as stumbling forward. It means knowing where you are headed and being willing to figure things out when encountering roadblocks along the way.
Roadblocks are the inevitable challenges life throws at you in your path. To apply Zen philosophy, the challenges are the path. Sadly, we often fail to see the path for the obstacles. We get distracted by the temporary setbacks and the details of a problem and fail to recognize the possibilities still ahead of us. But having awareness means that you can fight this. When you notice that you start losing the motivation to make the seemingly impossible happen, work to build resilience to get through the tough times and overcome the difficulties.
Setbacks come in 3 main forms:
Personal: your own physical or mental issues, such as a physical injury or emotional distress.
Social: the naysayers, dream-stealers, and detractors in your life who sabotage your success.
Unforeseen and uncontrollable events and circumstances: when things don’t go as planned.
When you encounter setbacks, avoid the 3 enemies of success:
Defeatism: giving up hope and viewing an unsuccessful attempt as a fatal failure.
Procrastination: being distracted by the minutiae and failing to get impactful stuff done.
Impatience: the attainment of BHAGs requires time. Patience increases the threshold of tolerance to effectively solve problems and overcome obstacles.
The 3 strategies to beat the 3 enemies of success:
A compelling reason to follow your dream, staring with the “why.”
Cultivating the habit of intentional action and relentless execution.
Embracing patience to persist, persevere, and perfect the virtue of fortitude.
To live fully is to keep dreaming big and creating the “what’s next.”
What is a big dream, or a crazy goal, you want to set for yourself, and why?
Remember that when a goal seems insurmountable, it is the small consistent steps that lead to success. But in the end, win or lose, you will be victorious for having tried.
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