The Power of a Goal

“Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”~Winston Churchill

Why do people climb mountains? Or jump out of airplanes? Or run marathons? Until 4 years ago, I didn't understand the power of a goal..and I had few to follow. There was a mountain in my life that I had to climb. It was my weight. I had resigned to the fact that I would be a big, tired, unhealthy person the rest of my natural life. In the summer of 2008, I set a goal to lose 55 pounds and mapped out a plan to do it in 6 months. To meet this goal my weapon of choice was walking. At first I could barely walk half a mile without being out of breath and exhausted. By the end of the summer I could walk two miles, then three miles. I discovered bleachers to run and hills to climb and I started to believe. I also had to tell food that it had no control over me anymore. I had to stop eating for fun or pleasure or anger. I started eating to live instead of living to eat. By December of 2008, I had lost the weight. I reached the top of my mountain. Ultimately, I have learned that fitness is a constant fight and I picked up weight lifting and other types of exercise.

Goals are all around us, and we all have goals that are unique to each person. There is something empowering and electrifying about reaching that weight, climbing that pinnacle, or crossing that finish line. Goals motivate us, inspire us, and guide us to finish something that seemed insurmountable at one time. But the journey didn't end in 2008. I decided to try to maintain my success by entering a 5K in the walking division. Since then I have completed two other 5K's and 2 10K's. In February 2012, I will walk a Half Marathon. It is scary and exciting at the same time. My goal is not only the finish but to finish strong. Even though I will be a walker in a mostly runner's event, I will not give up until I cross the finish line in under 3 and 1/2 hours.

So what is your mountain? What is your obstacle? What is something you have always wanted to do? Take a chance and set a goal to acheive what you never believed to be possible. Life is a series of challenges, and we may not reach every goal we set. But that's alright. Struggle and fight and never give up.

I will be sharing more about my journey to the Half Marathon in the next few weeks including examples of my training. It's never too late to take your life back and get in shape. Get out there and get started! Oh and here's a picture of me finishing my first 5K:-)