Perseverance

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another." Walter Elliott

Breaking a long-term goal into many "short races"/baby steps/shorter goals is the best way to achieve your long-term goal. This has really been coming home for me in my training for my first marathon. My first step was actually signing up for the marathon and the marathon training group. When I paid the money, I knew I was already 75% there. When you put your money where your mouth is, you're much more likely to make it to the finish line.

When I signed up with the training team I was given a training schedule -- many shorter runs that will somehow end up in my running 26.2 miles on March 21. Our first "long run" was 3 miles. For many people, that was the longest they'd ever run. Last weekend we ran 10 miles - unfathomable to many just a few short weeks ago. And every week, when we add a mile or two to our long runs we know we'll be able to do it. In fact, by taking our baby steps of doing the short mid-week runs each week, our long Saturday runs are actually very doable and sometimes almost easy! While 26 miles still seems a bit away, I am excited because I know I'm going to do it. I have mentally and financially committed to achieving this goal, I have gotten helpful and experienced coaches and pace leaders to help me, I am following a plan that breaks this feat into smaller baby steps, and I am showing up.

Life coaching works in much the same way -- you mentally and financially commit, you get an experienced coach for support, you work on a plan to break things up into baby steps, you show up, and you end up at the finish line. What big goals do you have that could be achieved with a little perseverance and some help from a coach?