Having a good time with big crazy goals...

Hey Reader,

My co-host ran a half marathon over the weekend and got a PB by nearly 90 seconds.

A PB is a personal best. It just means she’d never run that distance that fast before.

The funny thing is, she woke up that morning with reasons why it might not be a great day.

She felt nauseous, it was hot, and she kept having thoughts like, maybe she shouldn’t run today, or maybe something would happen, and she wouldn’t have to do this race.

It also wasn’t her A race. Like, it wasn’t a big race that’ll take her months to train for.

She went for it anyway, but she wasn’t putting too much pressure on herself.

In past marathons, she usually lost all her power somewhere between 10 and 15 kilometres, and this time it didn’t happen.

She said she experienced real joy out there.

She actually enjoyed it, which is not a thing you hear people say about racing very often.

This wasn’t a big race, so she wasn’t that bothered, and taking the pressure off made a big difference.

She ended up running a PB.

🧠 The big one carries a lot

Now let’s compare that to her upcoming race in October.

She’s flying to the States for it. She has spent a lot of money on the bib, and it’s a major.

There’s also the question of how many of these you actually get to run in a lifetime.

And on top of all that, the work she’s been doing is starting to show she probably could run a marathon in under three hours, which is a big deal for any runner who isn’t doing it for a living.

So the pressure is quite high.

What I think is more interesting is where that pressure is coming from.

It’s not a doubt thing. It’s more like: I think I can do it, but I haven’t done it yet.

Most of us working towards big crazy goals that matter so much can relate to this.

The time, money, years of hard work, people watching, knowing what you’re capable of and not wanting to mess it up.

That much attachment to the outcome puts so much pressure on us that we forget we’re actually allowed to have a good time while we’re chasing these goals.

❤️ Pick what winning means

What if we make the experience a part of the celebration?

When you release the emotional attachment to the outcome of your goal, it releases the self-imposed pressure we’ve put on ourselves.

The experience becomes a major part of the win too.

You get to enjoy the people, places, little wins, and the feeling of doing something you once weren’t sure you could do.

Your mind becomes open to enjoy and celebrate things about the process.

You get to notice how far you’ve come.

You still want the big result.

You still train hard to see what you’re capable of.

But your mind is not in panic mode.

Your mind is at its best potential because there’s no pressure getting you all wound up.

And more often than not, you surprise yourself.

And even if you don’t achieve it, you know it’s fine either way.

You try again.

So what’s the big thing you’ve got coming up?

If it goes well but you don’t get the outcome you wanted, would you still be glad you did it?

What are other things you’ll love to enjoy about the process?

Have a good time with it.

You might surprise yourself.

In the words of Arthur Ashe, *Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.”

You’ve got this.

With appreciation,

Huw

P.S: We got into this on this week’s pod.

My co-host also talked about a comment from a friend that opened up a bigger conversation on how “easy” is always relative, plus loads more good stuff.

Have a listen.