Why mile markers matter
- melissachoe
- Feb 5, 2024
- 2 min read
It's hard to believe that one-twelfth of 2024 has already passed us by. It feels like just yesterday we were exchanging New Year's wishes and discussing holiday plans. Like many of you, I started the new year with good intentions and motivation for personal growth and change.
In the past, I used to set very specific and, perhaps, overly ambitious personal goals – waking up every day at 5:30 am, running one or two marathons, knitting one amigurumi per quarter, finishing a book each month and journaling every day, among others. After years of experiencing some successes and a lot of failures, I learned to adjust my goals to appreciate the process along with the results. For 2024, I consciously chose not to make New Year’s resolutions, instead focus on certain aspirational themes. Yet, here we are in February, and I can't help but wonder, "Did I do enough? Where has the time gone by?"
Then it occurred to me that I was missing my mile markers. Much like running, pursuit of any goal requires mile markers – tangible milestones and indicators of progress. They serve as checkpoints providing a sense of direction and breaking down the long journey into manageable segments. Just as a runner gains momentum and confidence with each mile completed, accomplishing smaller goals fuels the motivation to continue the journey. Moreover, mile markers in both running and goal pursuit serve as crucial feedback mechanisms. Specifically, they provide:
Distance Covered: How far have I come?
Remaining Distance: How far do I have to go?
Pace Evaluation: Should I go faster, slower or stay the course?
Current Position: Where am I?
Decision Points: Is it time for a final push?
Regardless of the nature of your goal, mile markers enable you to measure progress, build resilience and celebrate your victories along the way. Without these markers, the path ahead becomes unclear. Even when doing well, the absence of a mile marker can lead to self-doubt, potentially prompting unnecessary exertion and burnout. Conversely, you may fall into complacency, mistakenly believing that you’re on track when, in fact, you need to step up your efforts to accomplish your goals.
As you navigate through the rest of 2024, consider establishing your own mile markers for personal and professional progress. For me, I decided to implement monthly markers to gauge my fitness goals. While I was content with my consistency during January, I realized that my pace was a bit too slow. Consequently, I’ve decided to incorporate additional compound exercises into my daily routine for February. Come March, I'll check if it's working and adjust as needed.
If you feel like January came and left without much accomplishment and need a renewed start, worry not, as the Lunar New Year is just around the corner. Embrace this opportunity for new beginnings and a set of new mile markers for your journey. Happy Lunar New Year!
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