"Goals transform a random walk into a chase..."

I am motivated by goals.

It's what gets me going.

Gets me to do the things.

And coffee.

That also helps.

LOL.

But all joking aside, goals are what inspire me.

"Setting goals is the first step to turning the invisible into the visible." ~Tony Robbins

And I've done a lot of that. 

Practicing the piano? (which I consider different than just sitting down to play) I will only do it if I'm working towards something (learning a new piece of music #Rach3foraRock, practicing for a recital or show, etc.).

Working out? It's something I do pretty regularly because it makes me feel good. But I'll stay more motivated if I'm working towards something (a fitness goal, figure competition, race, etc.).

Reading educational stuff? Only if it interests me and/or is for a class. LOL.

I was talking to my therapist the other day (***) and she asked me, "How does it feel to know that once you set your mind on something you really want to do, you accomplish it?"

(***side note: I believe in the importance of mental health and having someone in that field to talk to. Just like we workout with personal trainers even when we are in good shape, I believe in continuing to take care of your mental health even if you are not in crisis or going “through” anything)

I thought about it a bit, to see if what she was stating was actually true. 

And it was.

It feels pretty darn good. 

Damn good, actually.

It feels amazing to accomplish something you have set your mind (and heart) to do and take the necessary steps to meet that goal. 

When my brother joined the Marine Corps in 2005, I decided to run the Marine Corps Marathon in his honor. This was my first marathon. My first road race for that matter. I had never run before. But it was something I really wanted to do. And I did it.

In 2008, I set the goal to complete an Ironman triathlon before I turned 30. And that's what I did. I hired a coach, learned how to properly swim and bike, and completed an Ironman within 15 months (at the age of 29! Plenty of time to spare!).

In 2016, this guy I met on Tinder challenged me to learn a crazy piece of piano music (Rachmaninov's 3rd Piano Concerto, or "Rach3") in exchange for a diamond ring. And I did. And now we are married. (check out this post for that story...it’s a good one!)

And now I have a new goal. If you read my post from the other day, you may already have an inkling as to what it is. 

Yup. I'm going after it. Because it is something I really want to do. And I also really enjoy the process of getting there.

What do you want to do? 

What do you want to achieve?

Set goals and figure out the steps to get there.

But remember, the most important part is enjoying the process along the way.

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." ~Zig Ziglar

Speaking of which, the last few days workouts in "happy n' fit" fashion:

Set goals that inspire you.

Do what makes you happy.

"We have two ears and one mouth..."

I recently found myself in a meeting at work where we were doing some problem-solving. Admin was there and leading the conversation, which included a lot of storytelling to propose some possible solutions. I didn’t say a whole lot as I was mainly listening and didn't feel there was anything I felt I needed to add in the moment.

As we were wrapping things up, a comment was made about me needing to find my voice. It was an off hand-ish comment in a joking “I noticed you didn’t say a whole lot” kind of way. I didn’t take it personally. I know myself well and my tendency to listen and not talk a whole lot. But even as a joke, it was slightly frustrating to me, especially coming from an educator. It was a joke that insinuated that I need to “find” my voice because I chose to listen and not speak.

This diagram illustrates how I operate perfectly:

This year I am challenging myself to read more. 52 books in 52 weeks. I have been doing pretty well so far (I'm on my 24th book in my 20th week! Woohoo!). One of the books I read was quite powerful: “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain.

I love this quote:

"There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas."

and 

"We have two ears and one mouth and we should use them proportionally."

Yes. Yes. YES!

I think introverts are often mislabeled as being "too quiet" or "not having a voice" because we don't talk as much as extroverts. 

It is often the exact opposite. There is plenty for us to say, we are just processing and choosing the right moment to say it. And, quite honestly, people who talk too much just don't give us an opportunity to insert ourselves into the conversation and say what we need to say. Or at least that's what it feels like.

Introverts, how many of you have been in this situation: 

You have a thought or idea that you want to share but the person you are in "conversation" with just keeps talking and by the time they pause, ever so slightly, what you were going to say is no longer relevant or the topic has been completely changed. ARGH. So frustrating! 

"Introverts are word economists in a society suffering from verbal diarrhea." ~Michaela Chung

#truth

Don't be ashamed if you are more a listener than a talker.

You have a voice.

Some people just love the sound of their voice so much that they forget to allow time to hear yours. It's OK. They're not bad people.They just have a habit of talking. A lot.

"Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something." ~Plato

Do what makes you happy.

Especially if it means being quiet. 

Spartan Race Reflection

I tried something new this past weekend. 

I completed my first obstacle course race. Of the Spartan variety.

I know. Very exciting.

It was a Stadion version of their Sprint distance at the Nationals Stadium in DC. Super cool. 3 miles and 20 obstacles (or 21-22 depending on who you ask!), lots of stair climbing and behind-the-scenes access to the stadium. And no mud or jumping over fire. 😉 

I was initially inspired by a social media post I saw by one of the 3rd grade teachers at my school. She mentioned she was training for a Spartan race and I thought "Wow! That sounds really cool. I could totally see myself doing something like that..." We chatted about it and I convinced my husband to do it with me. #becausemarriage as he likes to put it. LOL!

I really really enjoyed the training for it. I was looking for a change and this turned out to be exactly what I needed. It was a lot of functional fitness stuff with running in between. 30 mins tops for most of it. I subscribed to the Spartan workout email and basically based all of my workouts off of that. 

Pretty straight forward, right?

I did all my running indoors (since I knew it wouldn't be trail running) on one of those TrueForm treadmills that requires that you do all the work. 

Love them. 

A lot of the time I added more to the circuit but basically made sure that I changed things up and kept my heart rate up.

The workouts were not easy. I was quite surprised.

And burpees? 

UGH.

If you can't complete and obstacle, you have to do 30 burpees before you continue the race (though at this Stadion version it turned out to be 15 ... no complaints here!). 

So I had to practice those, too. Not a fan.

I felt pretty prepared going into it. My husband wasn't really able to train for it but we agreed to stay together and finish together. So, I knew I might not be running my fastest, but that wasn't the point. The point was to have fun in the experience. Which we did.

I really enjoyed the vibe, too. Everyone seemed super cool, very supportive. And the swag? Awesome! They even had pet food vendors! Roman will be a very happy cat.

If you're not familiar with Spartan races, they generally come in 3 distances:

1. Sprint: 3+ miles, 20+ obstacles
2. Super: 8+ miles, 25+ obstacles
3. Beast: 13+ miles, 30+ obstacles

(There's also the Ultra, 26+ miles, 60+ obstacles ... but that's for really crazy people. And a few other additional crazy categories...)

If you complete a Sprint, Super and Beast within the same calendar year, you are considered to be part of the "Trifecta" club. Each medal comes with a 1/3 or "pie piece" of the Trifecta medal.

And you if complete all three, they complete the medal.

I'll admit, the wheels are turning in my head.

Because I can't do anything small. I mean, my first road race 14 years ago was a freakin' marathon (I had never seriously run before).

(2005)

And I completed an Ironman within 15 months of getting into triathlons (and really learning how to swim and bike).

(2009)

I wanted to get stronger and competed in a figure competition (not having ever lifted before).

(2014)

This was my first obstacle course race. Will I complete my Trifecta medal? 

Only time will tell...

Do what makes you happy.