Being Patient With Achieving A Goal (Marathon Not A Sprint).

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I'm pretty sure that we all have heard a famous quote that goes; "Life is a marathon, not a sprint." Many people believe this statement to be a fact, and I'm one of those many that will co-sign as to how truthful and authentic I find it to be. That said, for such a profound and honest statement to be embraced by so many, we still live in a world that predominately believes in doing things fast. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we live in what some call a "fast paced" society, where time is considered to be too valuable to waste. While I'm personally strive to not get caught up in the "fast paced" aspect of the society we live in, I do understand how crucial of part of our lives that time plays in our lives. From my perspective, one of the downsides to being in a world that moves fast is that many people believe that the fast paced aspect applies when it comes to achieving our goals as well. I believe we have fallen into a misconception that because our society is fast paced, everything else should happen fast for us as well. In my opinion, this is definitely not the case when it comes to setting and reaching goals, and I think this is something that must be addressed. They say that patience is a virtue, and that mindset definitely applies when it comes to achieving goals.

YO! What's going on good people? It's your boy Brad H. hitting you all up once again, and welcome to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that everyone has been doing great since the last installment, and if things haven't been going well for you as of late, I hope you can find a bit of inspiration here. We're in the month of June for 2016, and a lot has been happening in our world as of late. The world suffered the loss of a true icon and legend in former boxer Muhammad Ali, who died on June 3, 2016 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease at the age of 74. I believe that the reasoning for Ali's passing having such a big impact on the world is due to him being such an ambassador for having courage in our society. Yes he was indeed a great fighter, but the impact that he made on the world as an activist and for standing up for what the believed in is something that resonates with the entire world. I send my condolences to his family and anyone that is affected by his passing. Also, Mixed Marital Arts fighter Kimbo Slice died unexpectedly this week. My condolences go to his family as well. It can't be stated enough, but times like these are a testament to how precious life truly is. Cherish those close to you, because life is so unpredictable. I know I used my weekly soapbox a bit longer this time around, but I believe that it was fitting in this situation. Lets go ahead and get into this week's topic of the importance of having patience when it comes to achieving goals.

As I always try to mention in my writings, a person's individual viewpoint on a topic will always vary. The aim here isn't to focus on what is considered to be right or wrong, but rather to give people something to hopefully think about and evaluate further. My primary mission here is to use this platform as a way to express some of my ideas and opinions. If anyone happens to feel differently or disagree with my views on this or any of the topics I write about, that is totally okay with me. Now as I stated previously, we'll be discussing the importance of having patience when it comes to our goals. Back in early 2014, I wrote a post titled "Focus On Daily Goals, Rather Than Long Term Goals. (Marathon vs. Sprint Mentality)", which can be read here. That particular entry dealt with more smaller daily goals that amount to something bigger. This week's topic isn't going to ignore the importance of daily goals, however, it deals with moving towards goals that many would consider to be bigger. Whether you're focusing on something daily, or trying to move towards something bigger, the whole marathon vs. sprint mentality still applies. Now before I get started, I want to say that I don't want anyone to think that I'm endorsing or saying it's okay to not expect results in our goals because I'm delving into this particular topic. People's level of patience will vary, so it's up to you to decide whenever it's time to throw in the towel on something that may not be working our for you as quickly as you'd like. However, I believe that many of us give up too quickly on certain things that may be important to us, which is the main reason for me addressing this is topic.

Now most of us have various goals and dreams that we aspire to achieve. Remember when we were young kids in grade school, and our teachers would ask us that question that we're all heard before; "What do you wanna be when you grow up?" Most of us came up with lofty goals like becoming an astronaut, or becoming president of the United States, etc. For many of us as we age and become older, many of those big expectations we had during our youth become tempered. You may wonder what does any of this have to do with this week's topic at hand. Well, there are two points that coincide with what I'm talking about. First off, when we're younger, many of us are not often not told much how much effort and patience that is required in order to reach a goal. Because we're young and fragile, many of our elders seek to inspire us through more positive avenues, rather than a more realistic one. Secondly, setting goals for yourself at an advanced age requires a different mindset from being younger, however, the biggest rule of thumb is that you're never too old to set new goals for yourself. Now I personally believe the latter is probably the biggest mistake that many of us make in regards to our goals. We play these mental games on ourselves and think that because we're older and the clock is ticking, we have to rush in obtaining our goals. In turn, our patience towards our goals wear thin, which results in total burnout. We all know know what often comes after burnout; a lack of motivation to keep going.

Now, lets go back to the whole life being a marathon not a sprint mentality in regards to having a goal. As we mature and become older, we all become aware that nothing happens overnight, and that anything worth having is worth waiting for. Yes, this state of mind definitely applies to life in general, but the same mentality is required in order stay driven to succeed in something. Of course it is true that a great deal of effort is required in order to reach a goal, that goes without saying. However, a great amount of diligence is key as well. When we're moving towards something that may be considered big and is important to us, we have to exhibit a deal amount of patience before getting to that point. Again, living in a fast society where people expect results fast can make this an even more difficult journey. Think of it like this as a prime example to follow. Summer is almost here, and many people out there are looking to get fitter for this time of year. We all know that losing those pounds isn't going to happen overnight, and even if you're losing weight quickly, you're more than likely putting your health at risk. The bottom line is that anything that you're passionate about likely takes time to achieve, but it's only doable if you're able to stick with it. Again, it's a marathon not a sprint.

From my perspective on this topic, the importance of having patience with your goals all comes down to how much you really want what you're pushing towards. More than likely, if it's something that you're deeply passionate about, you'll continue to persevere and put in the effort to get where you're trying to be. If you're willing to toss in the towel when you don't quickly see the results you want, then you're probably not as passionate about your goal or goals as you may think. If you're the type of person that puts time limits and restrictions on your goals, you'll probably end up not succeeding in them. Going fast may be the desired way to get somewhere, but can also lead to a multitude of mistakes along the way. Regardless of what it may be, only you can decide when something isn't worth your time and effort any longer, so listening to others who may tell you when you need to give up on something is null and void. Regardless of your age or where you are in life, if you still have a passion for something, keep striving towards it. If and when you figure out that fire isn't there anymore, then maybe it's time to let it go, but make sure to do it on your own terms. So for anyone out there reading this, continue to be patient and long suffering towards achieving the things that give you meaning, and always be mindful that working towards a goal or goals is a marathon, not a sprint.

Well I'm going to go ahead and end this week's topic, so big thanks again to anyone that stopped through for another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. I hope that some meaning and understanding was gained through this, and even if there wasn't, I still appreciate your visiting. Summer is almost here (June 20), and it's starting to get warm outside. Just as a suggestion, try to get outdoors and enjoy the beauty outside this weekend. I hope everyone has a great weekend and rest of the week ahead, and I'll see you all in the next one. Till next time, my name is Brad H., and I wish you all peace and positive thoughts.

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Suffering Setbacks In Life, and Using Them As Motivation For the Future.

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Perfection is a false reality that does not exist. Although the majority of people are aware that attaining perfection isn't a reality, a good portion of people still aim to achieve it. I feel there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to achieve the best outcome that you possibly can in various situations, or even striving to be the best person in this life that you can possibly be. However, I sometimes believe that many of us view the setbacks and disappointments that happen in our lives as total failures. Many of us set out upon a journey with reckless abandon to achieve a goal, and if we just so happen to not reach those goals, we sometimes view ourselves as failures. I recently had what I would consider a humbling experience that I would like to share in this week's edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'.

What's good people? It's ya boy Brad H. back at you again with another blog posting. Hope all is well and good with everyone. For this week's post, I'm going to share with you all an event that I was involved last week, and use it as an example of how it relates to the topic of this post. Last week was not only a physically painful week for me, it was also a stressful one as well. I feel like what I endured last week is a fairly good example of how having setbacks and disappointments does not always equate to being a failure. We just have to use those setbacks as a motivating force for future events that we will encounter. If any of you have been a regular reader of my blog posts, you've probably seen mention of an annual 5K race that I've run in for the past three years. I enjoy being active and having the experience of running in this race. However, the primary reason that I've done this race three straight times is because it normally takes place right before my birthday. Since I value the old saying that "health is wealth", I've always viewed participating in the race as a birthday gift to give myself.

Now besides enjoying the overall experience of participating in the Gusher/Kinsel Ford 5K, my initial goal when I registered was to beat my previous running times from the past two years. I had high hopes towards the end of 2013 when I decided that I would participate, as I was reaching a level of activity through running that I haven't experienced in a few years. I would dare say that I was somewhat at the level I was when I was a bit younger. However, unfortunately in late November of 2013, I went through another stage of inactivity after a close family member passed away. I basically went almost an entire month without doing any running, or any exercise for that matter. When I finally was mentally ready to start back training again, it felt like I was starting all over again. Just getting through one mile of jogging was a challenge within itself. Saying that getting back into the groove of things as you get a bit older is an understatement. However, after a month or so of training again, I began to make progress; but once again I had to take some time off due to knee problems and consistent bad weather.

Since I had it in my mind to do this race in 2013, I went ahead and registered for the race knowing that I hadn't been training properly. At any rate, I still held onto hope that there would be a slim chance that I would able to beat my race times from the previous years. Then six days before the event, everything came crashing down on me. The Sunday before the race, I lifted a dresser for a family member and hurt my back. Ouch! Instead of using the few days before the race to train, I pretty much had to rest because of the pain that I was experiencing. I thought about just pulling out of the race altogether, and I would have had to if it were only a day or two after the back injury. I just couldn't see myself running at all with a bad back. My back slowly got better during the week, but it was not 100 percent whatsoever. Not only was my back being a hinderance, my mental state wasn't where it needed be either. Despite the bleak outlook, I went ahead and participated in the race.

So you're probably wondering how did I do? Well, I ran my slowest time out of the three years I've done this race, but I did cross the finish line. Following the race, I felt extremely down on myself for not reaching the goal I wanted to obtain. It took me talking to and corresponding with other people to realize that I was being too hard on myself. People were telling me that I should be happy that I finished, and that I was only 3 minutes slower than my fastest time despite a bad back and little training. They were saying things like; "Imagine how well you would have done if you hadn't injured your back, and you did train properly for the race?" When I began to focus on the positive things that I was hearing, I realized that I indeed was being too hard on myself. A humbling experience, but it helped me to realize even more that having setbacks are all about how you handle them.

I'm going to go ahead and bring this week's post to a close, but the main point is that setbacks, failures, and disappointments are all a state of mind. When we have unfortunate situations and setbacks in our lives, it's totally up to us on how we choose to handle them. We can either wallow in them and allow them to take us out of the game completely, or we can use them as motivation for doing and being better in the future. I know this sounds like a simple concept, but sometimes it takes other people telling us that it's okay to fail sometimes. What matters most is as long as you pick yourself back up and keep moving forward. This message goes way beyond just running in a race; it's about all aspects of life, as there will always be disappointments and setbacks that will happen throughout life.

Well that's it for this week's edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As with all of my posts, everything that I've written applies to me and I how I strive to live. I hope that you enjoyed reading, and hopefully you can relate some of this post to the setbacks that we're all going to have in the future. I also want to apologize for being away and not writing last week, but now you all know why. Everything is fairly back to normal now, so I'll see you all in the next post. Till then, everyone stay up and keep on maintaining. Peace!