How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Taking on any big goal is daunting. Building a business, getting fit, riding 110 miles or 240 miles in a day, weight loss, renovating a home, etc.
All of these projects get accomplished by thousands of people everyday. They are not impossible, and dumber, less capable people than you have figured it out.
You can’t see past the giant concept to break down all the individual steps. It’s the same way you build your bench, by adding 5 lbs to your max, cycle over cycle. This is how you tackle any monumental goal.
Patience and discipline are two big characteristics I see in successful people I surround myself with. The ability to keep working. Keep figuring it out. Keep learning. Keep trying. You only have to figure out the step in front of you. Give the next step all the attention it deserves.
This past weekend I took on a Gravel Bike race, the Mermac 100, which turned out to be 110 miles and 10,000 feet of elevation.
I was intimidated by this. I have been training consistently, but never attempted anything this daunting. Here is what I learned and will apply to my life forward.
After 50 miles, the pain stayed consistent. My fear that it would continue to get worse as the day went on was a lie. Noted.
No matter if I walked or rode up each hill, the only goal was the upcoming hill, and deal with the next when I get to it. Take it step by step. Pedal by pedal. Eventually, it came to an end and goal accomplished.
My intention of this event was to figure out when pushed to my edge, what gives out first, body or mind? Seems I have not found a line to determine that yet. Fuck yeah.
The training now continues, and we have a lot more information to use. I know some more unknowns. How I feel at 100 miles? How I feel after being on a bike for 9 hours? Can I keep my legs going? Can I check who to stick to my plan of finishing at all costs?
I’m better because of this challenge and enduring it. Choose your hard things and break them down into all the manageable actions.
