As I’ve done in the past, I jumped on the New Year’s Resolution band-wagon this year. To keep adherence to my goal high, I set my sights on a goal that I thought to be attainable, beneficial, and easily measurable. My goal was to cover at least 1 mile of ground by foot in a single bout every day.
Essentially the goal is to walk or run for 1 contiguous mile each and every day of 2023.
I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least—and it is commonly more than that—sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements. You may safely say, A penny for your thoughts, or a thousand pounds. When sometimes I am reminded that the mechanics and shopkeepers stay in their shops not only all the forenoon, but all the afternoon too, sitting with crossed legs, so many of them—as if the legs were made to sit upon, and not to stand or walk upon—I think that they deserve some credit for not having all committed suicide long ago.
Henry David Thoreau, Walking
January started out strong, but I was at an advantage for starting my routine as January is the Archery Late-Season in Pennsylvania. So I’d inevitably hit my goal on certain days without much effort. I ended January with at least a mile every day and totaled 64.5 miles over the course of the month (accounting for only logged miles).
February wasn’t bad either. Logging at least 1 mile every day, totaling 82.27 miles by month’s end.
March…. March… March.
March did me in. But for no reason other than my routines were upended by a 2-week vacation (pity me). I went straight through from January 1 through March 26th (3 days into my vacation, I might add), without missing a day where I walked at least 1 mile.
Then in April all hell broke loose. If I’ve already failed at the resolution then what’s the point?
This could’ve been the end. The chain was broken, all hope was lost, mission aborted, the end–OR–maybe not. Maybe it was the principle behind the goal that mattered, not dogmatically hitting the target and then calling it a day when the chain was broken.
The purpose of a goal is to keep you on track, to continuously make incremental progress towards whatever the desired outcome might be. So when your experience isn’t matching your expectations you haven’t lost, you’ve gained an opportunity to evaluate how well your behaviors are matched to your goals. If needed, you can recalibrate, or, you can simply start again and put one foot in front of the other.
Just something to think about,
