This idea was shared by one of the Marathon Training Team coaches during a clinic (I couldn't find who this idea originally came form so if you know please share it here so I can give them the appropriate credit). The concept was to dedicate each mile in the marathon to a different person. You prepare a sheet of paper with their names and at some point during every mile you dedicate a little thought/prayer to them. For me these were 26 people that had affected my life in one way or another, some of which have even passed. It was a pretty powerful experience. At mile 22 I recalled my late grandmother and all the love she provided me over the years and it gave me the emotional boost to push on forward.
Like all things running, this motivational tool isn't strictly restricted to running and prayer. Is your day dragging at work? How about have a sheet of inspirational quotes to pull out for every hour of work (or every 30 min if its a Friday)? What about that habit of smoking you've been trying to kick? Why not pull out a picture of the loved ones who are pushing you to quit each time you have a strong urge?
The key is to have a plan. Zen Habits even describe a similar concept in their The Habit Change Cheatsheet (for brevity I've only included a couple of the summary points):
- Write it down
- Make a plan
- Know your motivations
Be creative. Figure out areas where you might need this kind of positive reinforcement. Got your own mental nugget or strategy for staying mentally strong? Share it in the comments!
1 comment:
I'll have to think about that nugget & get back to you. I'm in full-on wallow mode at the moment.
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