Dreams to Goals

If you look up the word "dream" in the dictionary, you'll see that one of the definitions is to contemplate the possibility of doing something. We all have things we dream about, don't we? We "contemplate the possibility" of that perfect job, the perfect holiday, and of course, the perfect race.

I think dreaming can be healthy. It gives me a chance to see what I think is really important and would want to accomplish someday. But so often, we can get stuck in our dreams; we can be in a constant state of contemplation. Then before we know it, time is slipping away and we haven't gotten anywhere near our dream.

Last night I went to a Code of Honor ceremony for Charlie's scout troop. During the ceremony, the troop master shared the famous quote by Napoleaon Hill, "A goal is a dream with a deadline." I would bet that we have all heard that quote before, but it served as a great reminder to me last night! A dream with no deadline is simply contemplation. I don't know about you, but I want to accomplish, not contemplate.

As a running coach, I will often hear about runners' dreams. We runners are great at contemplating things we'd like to do, and dreaming big is important. But we shouldn't stop there.

We are in the last month of 2016. This is a busy season for sure, but if you can, take some time to examine your dreams, and give them a deadline. Change the statement, "I want to do a marathon someday" to "I'm running my first marathon in September this coming year." Wow....it sounds so different, doesn't it? Put a deadline on the dream and make it a goal! But don't stop there. When you have a goal, you need to write out steps to accomplishing your goals. Track your progress and celebrate every sucess.

Keep dreaming! But lets pick which dreams to give a date to and work towards our new goals! Happy Running everyone!