Process and Rigor

I believe process and rigor are the qualities that will allow me to reach my goals. A couple years ago, I realized I could literally do anything I wanted to do if I developed a plan and stayed committed to my training.

To test my theory, I chose a goal that seemed out of reach at the time. Without any prior running experience, I decided to train for a marathon. I found a training program online and gave it a shot.

Early on, the most difficult part was putting on my shoes and getting out the door. I could come up with a thousand reasons for why it was ok to skip that day's run. I allowed my mind to wander and ask questions like "Should I run today?", "It's too hot to run", "I'm sore, I don't want to develop an injury", "I'm getting sick", "It's too late". The problem was I hadn't yet decided that I was going to run.

Eventually, I learned to decide to do things. I simply didn't allow myself to contemplate if I was going for a run. This made my experience much more simple. I was going to go for a run. It wasn't a question of if, it was only an observation of how that day's experience would be.

The process of training and finishing the marathon completely changed my mindset and approach to what's possible. I realized the biggest limit on myself was my mind. Conquer my mind and I could conquer my life. Process and rigor allowed me do something that at one point, seemed impossible.