Most goals are poorly set and therefore unattainable. Maybe they are not specific enough, maybe they are not realistic or maybe you are not inspired by the potential achievement of the goal to actually follow through.

This is a problem.

What is the point of setting goals if they are not inspiring enough to follow through with? I have noticed that when I set goals, there is usually one (or more) of four things missing. I ask myself these 4 questions to get a feel for the validity of the stated goal.

• What is the specific type of behavior I need to engage in to reach my goal?
• How often do I need to participate or follow through on this action
• At what intensity must the activity be performed?
• How long am I going to give myself to accomplish the goal?

Photo by Vassilis Kokkinidis

Many people wonder how to start running. Admittedly it is not an activity that I used to enjoy. In fact I would avoid it at all costs.

I never understood why someone would go through the trouble or pain to run. I wanted nothing to do with it.

Over time though, I began to enjoy it more and started to take it a little more seriously, but only after starting and stopping several times over the years.

This year though, I have run over 750 miles to date, have completed 2 half marathons and 1 marathon. Even though my main goal for the year was the marathon, I have found myself looking at upcoming race calendars and trail maps wondering what I want to train for next. In the past after I have run a race I was satisfied and said enough and stopped with no intention of ever starting again.

What is it about this year that has me hungry for more? I think it is a combination of several key factors that worked for me. Perhaps they will work for you as well.

How to Start Running

There are several reasons people start and stop running. It can be maddening and quite annoying. Not to mention pretty boring. Maybe you start a new year with a resolution only to realize it is really cold outside, and running on a treadmill is not an option.

Maybe you set some goals and then life gets in the way and you don’t run for a day or two.

Then you feel guilty.

Then it is hard to start again.

No matter the reason, here are a few helpful tips that I think will help keep you running and moving forward.

Set a Goal & Make a Plan

I find it helps a ton when I have a goal I am working towards. When I started training for my first race I would run to the end of my street and back. It was horrible.  Even though it was a dead end and was only about a half a mile away, I was winded and sore and felt like I wanted to die. I turned around and literally walked limped back home.

Now most of my goals are based around certain races, but that doesn’t mean yours has to be. It could be a goal to run around the block in a certain amount of time. No matter what the goal is, give yourself something to work for rather then just running for running’s sake.

Find one thing about running you love and do it often

I was reading an interview once with Anton Krupika and he said to “investigate what it is you love about running and then do it — A LOT”. Ever since I read that, I have tried to think about what it is I love about running. I am still trying to pin my finger on it, but I think it changes from day to day.

I think the thing I love most about running is getting up and running in the early morning while the world is still waking up. I love being out when the sun is coming up over the mountains.

So figure out what it is about running that you love, and do it — A LOT.

Don’t be too hard on yourself

While you need to work hard to meet your goal that you set and stick to the plan in front of you, it is important to not be too hard on yourself.

If you miss a day, no big deal.

Just don’t try not to miss two in a row.

If you don’t run as fast as you want to, no big deal.

You probably pushed harder than you would have without the goal.

Just have fun with it and enjoy the fact you are out exploring your surroundings.

Reward yourself

Enjoy the small successes of running. When you reach your goal, or milestones throughout the training, reward yourself. It is a very important part of moving forward and recognizing small successes throughout life.

For the most part, I tried to stick to a pretty good diet throughout my training. About once a week though, I tried to have a day, or half a day where I didn’t watch what I ate too closely. It was a small reward and gave me something to look forward to. It also helped control my eating the rest of the week when I knew I had a free day coming up soon.

Be accountable to someone else

This is probably one of the most important aspects of training. If you are accountable to someone else for your goals, then you will be much more likely to follow through on them.

I told several people of my plans and goals and would update them on a regular basis. It will get to the point where a bunch of people are aware of your training and will ask you how its going. If you are running a race, they will wonder when it is and how the training is coming. Many times being accountable to these people pulls you through difficult days when you want to give up.

Don’t compare yourself to anyone else

Unless you are an elite runner and out there to win every race you enter, you should not compare yourself to anyone but yourself. Don’t worry if a little old lady with a walker is going faster than you. Just keep moving forward.

There is no one out there you need to compare yourself to other than yourself.

Be the best YOU you can be. That’s all you need to worry about.

Conclusion

So if you are wondering how to start running, follow these steps above. By no means is it an exhaustive list, but hopefully it is enough to get you started. No doubt that you will come up with your own lists of reasons and ways to teach others how to start running.

Any additional thoughts, please post in the comments below.

Happy running and hopefully I’ll see you on the trails.

Brandon

One thing that is evident – there are many ways to make money online. It seems like more and more my email inbox is flooded with offers to “buy this” and “buy that”, “try this” and “subscribe to that” offers. Some of them work for sure and some of them are just flat out B.S. and designed to take advantage of honest, hard working folk that are just trying to take care of their families and make some extra money online.

I have made a conscious effort of late to put to use the “unsubscribe button” at the end of most of the email lists that I have found myself on. I say “most” because there are still a few that offer a tremendous value and lend themselves to my goals and values. It is hard at first to unsubscribe because of the thought that I might miss something that might have an impact on what I am trying to accomplish online. Although, I have realized a couple things lately that have changed my perspective on email lists and how I interact with the list owners of which I am a member.

There are tons of people coming at us everyday with offers to try their system and get in on this “limited time offer” and it is very easy to get distracted and chase that next bright shiny object while never really accomplishing much in the process. It doesn’t take long to realize that you have been spinning your wheels. It is super easy to jump from project to project and from great idea to great diea without focusing the time and energy it takes to do one thing really well.

A good friend of mine calls it entrepreneurial A.D.D.

Well, no more.

Recently I have decided that to be successful, I cannot follow the advice of every guru in my inbox, but would be wise to choose one method or program to follow and master that process. As a result, the unsubscribe option on my email has been getting a fair amount of use and I am sticking to those one or two lists that teach the system that I am trying to follow and build my sites around.

The Goal

I have two niche sites that I am working on and am focused on turning into a passive income stream. For me, it is would be wise to only focus on one site at a time and this series will be my roadmap and accountability canvas.

So my short term goal is broken down into three phases:

1. Get to the first page of Google for my one main keyword
2. Get to the top of the first page (#1 position)
3. Work on it only 1-2 hours per day

After I accomplish these goals, I will re-evaluate and re adjust my thinking and strategy. I think these are good short term goals and, while pretty standard, will take some work and focus. It is completely doable though probably within the next 6-8 weeks of focused attention.

As for #3 I am currently working a full time job. Internet Marketing is not my full time job, but a hobby and side business that I am building. I am also a father, husband and have other church and personal responsibilities. What that means is that after the kids are in bed around 10:30 or 11:00 at night, I am able to begin focusing on this project. It usually takes me into the early morning before I get to bed and get us and start all over again. Long story short, I only have a limited amount of time that I can work on these projects.

(As another side note, I know that there are very valid options with outsourcing a lot of this work. I have been considering that option, but have not been able to make that move yet. I need to streamline and systematize a few aspects first so that I am not passing on work that is unimportant. I will get there eventually, but need the processes in place first.)

Now for the long term goal. It is pretty simple, I want this site to produce between $3,600 and $4,000 per month in passive income. Plain and simple. In my chosen market, and with the type of person I am targeting I think it is completely attainable within a few months.

The Strategy

It is easy to say I want to get to the top of the 1st page in google, but the act of actually getting there is where the magic lays. I have put together a pretty comprehensive list of action items that I will follow including items such as article marketing, web 2.0 properties, and video submissions. I think I have a pretty good plan in place on how I am going to generate those back links and authority within the search engines. It is mostly a compilation of three or four other systems that I have used and pulled what I thought were the best aspects of those programs. More details of the specific steps will be laid out in future posts.

The Reporting

I know that if I have to  report the status of a project somewhere and be accountable, then I am much more likely to do the work that I need to to get to my goals. For that reason I am going to be making a detailed weekly report of the activities, successes and failures that I have experienced. I will detail the tasks that I have been working on, what has been working and what I have found not to be as effective.

I realize that there are very few people that will be reading these reports. I am doing it for my own records and to keep track of the details in a way that will benefit me in the future as I prove the success of this site. I will make an updated report here at my site every Tuesday. Check back then.

Maybe next time it will not be so difficult.

Success,

Brandon

I am going to preface this post by saying that I am not proclaiming to be any kind of expert on this subject. I just know there are some things I can improve in my life. So with that being said, here are some ways I am trying to improve my health in 2009.

One of my goals for the new year is to loose some weight. Not that I am extremely overweight, but there is plenty of room to improve my health this year as well as drop a few pounds.

As I have thought about what my habits are and how I could easily change them to get healthier and more in shape, there are a few things I could easily change to take steps in the right direction.

So here are a few things that I am doing to get healthier. If you have any other ideas, let me know.

1. Portion Control – I think this is one of the most important ways to loose, or at least maintain current weight. I know that when I sit down for dinner, it is so easy to pile more on my plate then I should. Also limit the seconds.
2. Limit Sweets – When I am at my desk, or around the house, it is just as easy to grab a piece of fruit rather then a candy bar.
3. Drink Lots of Water Throughout The Day – I know that it is said that you should drink 8 glasses or cups of water throughout the day. I am not sure, but I would assume it is not as good for you to drink all 8 glasses before 7 in the morning and then soda’s for the rest of the day. I could be wrong, though.
4. Exercise More – One of the keys to being healthy is to exercise regularly. A couple things I do is a)ride my bike to work (not so much now that it is cold, but a good idea none-the-less). B)  get a gym membership. I am working on finding the best deal in town and working out a good contract so I don’t have to pay full price (who wants to do that?) C) I am going to start running again when it gets a little warmer outside, but right now, treadmills at the gym.
5. Stop Eating After 8:00 pm – This is another “good” idea. Keep in mind that it is 12:20 am and I just finished leftover baked potatoes.

Okay, these are just a few things I want to do better throughout the year.

Today is a new day. One that you will never have back. So, what are you going to do that will improve your life for tomorrow?
With the New Year upon us, it is generally a time to think about resolutions for the next 12 months. If you are anything like me, then what ends up happening is you follow through on some of your goals, maybe for a week or so. But pretty soon, you slowly drift back into normal life as it once was, no better off then you were before.

Every now and again I have set a goal and followed through on it for longer than normal. For example, one day I decided to start running. I set a goal to complete a 10k race. I thought about it for a while before hand and made a plan about how I would accomplish it. I committed myself to the plan and followed through on each step, until I ran the Bolder Boulder. It was great.

What was it about that that goal that I set that was different than others? To be honest, I have no idea.

But, none-the-less, I am going to try and set some goals this year and see what I can do to accomplish them.

Welcome to my life.