A Motivation Secret from the Insane

Sarah, our insane runner, had thought about a marathon for years. She dreamed of running the 26.2 miles but was overwhelmed by the size of it all. Then she stumbled upon a training schedule online.The mileage added up to 567 over 16 weeks. Even a car would be tired after that. But to run it? How did she get motivated?Though at first it looked like a lot, the schedule clearly broke everything down into daily runs. A particular Tuesday required eight miles, for instance; a certain Saturday, four miles.This changed the way Sarah thought about the goal. The mountain became a molehill."I just focused on the next day," she told me. "I didn't worry about two days later. I just looked at what I had to do tomorrow."Instead of the 567 miles scaring her away, it never crossed her mind. She only thought about the next step.You can almost picture her thinking, Six miles tomorrow? I can do six miles.Sarah took it one day at a time, one chunk at a time, and that made all the difference.After 16 weeks, she successfully completed the Milwaukee Marathon--a lifelong dream checked off the list.How can you apply Sarah's lesson to your goals? Which of your dreams can be chunked into smaller parts?Dissect the things you want, and, when you have the first tiny step uncovered, take it. Then take the one after that, and the one after that, and on and on until you're panting like a dog at the finish line of your own marathon, grinning from ear to ear.What is the Balance?I talk a lot about shifting the balance. So much so that many of you are probably asking, What is the balance and why do I want to shift it? Good questions. Here are the quick answers:Everything you want--every hope, goal, or dream--has its own balance or set of scales. On one side are the two types of motivators that drive you forward. On the other are the two types of obstacles that keep you standing still.When you shift the balance of a particular goal, you immediately want to do whatever it takes to make it happen. It's as if you flip a switch inside your brain and instantly start taking action.Using this skill with goals such as starting a business or meeting new friends can be exciting. But when you use it to improve your health or save your job, it can be life-changing.Do you know how to shift the balances of your goals? If not, click here to see how it's done.New Stuff