The Marathon Year…
[Before you continue, please note that this reflection is mostly for me. Nevertheless, I’ve had a few conversations lately with friends who have iterated their desire to be better. If you’re out there hoping for more, trying to do better holistically, or even just feel the tension of living passionately vs apathetically … I desire that you might be met with even the slightest graze of encouragement after reading this.]
Let us recall that around this time last year, life in the U.S felt… normal. Or some variation of a relative “normal”. Christmas came and went, New Years' next, and along with the giddiness of a new year came dozens of fresh, lofty, hope-filled aspirations to conquer this 2020.
Call 2020 the year of the Coronavirus, call it the year of the chaotic election, or maybe the Marathon Year… the last 11 months have packed more than a few heavy punches, and certainly did not play favorites. Rich, poor, young, or old…Many goals, ideas, dreams, and plans took dizzying turns this year. Some had to be put on pause, some seem to have been obliterated. My own included.
In January, like many, I set a handful of goals. One of which was to run a marathon. This goal for me wasn’t to qualify for Boston, to get in shape, or to acquire a new bumper sticker. I set-off to become better this year, and one life-discipline I hoped to refine is follow-through. Training for a marathon would help me learn to remain on a certain path until I reach the end when there would be many opportunities to ditch the idea altogether.
Without first embracing the notion of follow-through, the pathway to betterment is merely a pipe dream. Follow-through, to continue an action or task to a conclusion, is the essence of betterment. It was essential for me to learn to commit to the training to run the marathon with any success, and so I began.
I started slow, only running a handful of miles per week. To commit-well, I needed a sustainable training plan that would guide me toward the big day. Eventually, I’d gradually increase my weekly mileage, add interval training, and do my best to stretch my strained muscles. These incremental gains eventually gave me the confidence I knew I’d need before I could approach the marathon. At this point, those of you who are runners are probably groaning… but let me make my point!
When pursuing betterment, the end-result is what drives accomplishment, and definitely matters. However, what I learned in this Marathon Year is that it’s on the journey where most indispensable lessons take place. That being said, the way we frame training for the “marathons” of life is of vital significance.
We must enter each journey of life with a framework in which to navigate the highs and lows and curveballs along the way. This lesson may not be profound for everyone, but for a recent college-grad millennial such as myself, commitment has been a nebulous and fear-provoking concept. In the past, I would often uproot somewhere along the journey when the end-result became less dazzling and motivating. Thus, I missed out on the abundance of critical lessons one learns when committing to the struggle of betterment. If I only had the mature framework that it is in the act, through the struggling, where the richest lessons can be learned.
For betterment's sake, our framework must involve the daily question of, “have I followed-through?” If not, don’t stop, keep moving forward. If you are like me and haven’t accomplished every goal you set to conquer this year, I believe you are right where you need to be. If this doesn’t apply to you, I trust you stopped reading by now… but self-betterment is worth pursuing, no matter the outcome. It’s through the journey that we discover ourselves getting better.
Friends, there are zero guarantees that 2021 will be better or that your dreams and goals will be easier to accomplish simply because it’s a different year. We should still be strapping on our running shoes just the same because… guess what? 2021’s going to be another marathon year. Each new year brings unpredictability as well as the inevitability of high’s and low’s. We’re going to have to train-well if we expect to grow.
Moving forward, the framework I have to offer is that of the Marathon Year. I’ve learned that the only way to find a footing during a Marathon Year like this, is to keep moving forward.
When the weight feels too heavy, move forward. When it feels pointless, move forward. When nobody is cheering you on and nobody sees you move forward. When an obstacle comes up, move forward.
Don’t allow room for excuses. Find accountability. Write each goal down. Remember your dreams, your goals, your ambitions — often. Don’t settle, put forth the best you can manage. Keep moving, bring your doubts and worries along.
I want to get better and I know a lot of others who do too. Find those people and invite them into your thoughts. Inspire each other to go further and further. For the goals that didn’t get accomplished in one year… don’t let them drop off the list, add them to the 2021 list of dreams and aspirations you have. Don’t leave a task left “in-progress”, follow-through. Dream of the person you hope to become and let that fuel you daily. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to improve. Engage your life with the world however you can.
[Here are some questions to help you get some bearings: Where are you right now? Where are you hoping to go in 2021? Do you need to course-correct? What could potentially hold you back? How can you create a sustainable, efficient growth-plan? How will you be held accountable? Will this new trajectory make a positive impact on your life? Is there anyone you’d like to invite on this journey ahead?]
