Day 11 - Stayin’ in it for the long haul

When I decided to take the 30-day blogging challenge, I did it to get the process jump-started and the juices flowing. I wasn’t sure exactly what direction it would take but I hoped that it might give me some clarity on what direction I want it to take.

I have never been one to set goals. It doesn’t work for me the way they are usually structured. If you’ve ever taken the Strengths Finder 2.0 test, you’ll know what I mean when I say my first strength is Adaptability. As I read the description the first time, I kept thinking ‘Yes! That’s me!’ And when I read my remaining four top strengths, I kept repeating that phrase.   

Setting long-term goals doesn’t work for me because I live in the now. I really do. I can have short-term goals but if something is gonna take a year, forget about it. Before you get the wrong idea, I’m not ‘rash’ or flighty just because I live in the now. I’m sure if you asked anyone who knows me well, those terms would not be used to describe me!

However, if a project is going to take a long time, it better have lots of interim steps and progress at a steady pace. Otherwise, my attention will be on to other things. Look, it’s a shiny object!

Which is exactly how I can train for marathons. As a walker, I am out there training for long periods at a time. For example, we will start training for the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon on January 23. The marathon is June 26. Five months of training? Are you kidding me?

But each week is different. Each week we add mileage and vary the route so it’s not the same every time. I always have something different to look forward to. That’s the key for me.

It’s also how I’m approaching this blog challenge. It’s a small step each day. I have to think about what I’m going to post. I let ideas roll around in my head for awhile to see if they would merit a post. (It is a good thing to not have many readers while I go through this process!) Through this I am gaining clarity on my purpose for blogging. We’ll see where I end up at the end of the month!