Goals, not mine but goals in general

I recently met someone and we found that we had running in common. She was running about 5K, three or four times a week. She mentioned that she was thinking about getting in a program to train for the San Antonio R&R Half-Marathon. She was not sure about it and was scared to take on that as a goal. At this point, she did not know anything about my training for IM-CDA, in fact she knew nothing about my running / training experience. I gave her a bunch of encouragement to take on the half-marathon. I told her about how much fun she would have and how she would really enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with goal seeking. We eventually got around to talking about my goals and I told her I was training for IM-CDA. She automatically started talking about her silly little 13.1 mile run compared to an IM. As much as my ego likes to be stroked, I was really taken back by this. My goal is not any different than hers. Her goal is just as daunting, just as challenging as mine. She has to overcome a lot of obstacles, she has to make a sacrifice in time and money, and she has to dedicate herself to achieving that goal. Just like me.

We talked about this and I am glad that we did. Regardless of what the goal is, they are all equal, as long as they are realistic, they move you forward and you work at them. It was a really good conversation. For me it was an IM, for her a half-marathon, for some it is learning to paint, lose weight, get active, writing that novel or whatever. So, the lesson we learned was, a goal is a goal and we should all have some.