‘Success is measured by how high you set your bar’. The thought came to me whilst listening to the above track on a long walk home to Cardiff. The 1:16:39 minutes of the track gave me ample time for my thoughts to drift, and consider how even simple mundane tasks can become a case of success or failure, as we tackle life’s daily tasks.
I’m not suggesting that your evening commute should become a target for a Personal Best – I’d leave PB’s to races as there aren’t any medals for getting home from work one second quicker than before and if everything became a PB, then living under such pressure would be simply become unbearable.
Even PB’s in Races can have negative connotations I believe. You see I always ask my clients what they predict when we are working towards their next ‘A’ race. For someone chasing a sub 3.30 marathon – having a PB of 3:45, a 3:35 would have been an undoubted success. Now chasing a sub 3:29.59 - a 3:30:00 is an annoying failure by 1 second – and there are plenty I know with a 3.00.00 and a 3:15:00. None of whom are truly thrilled about their time, I can tell you no matter how good it was to run quickly. I remember a 3:30:55 which really cheesed me off as I needed a sub 3:30 to qualify for the London-to-Brighton 55 mile Road Race.
Even PB’s in Races can have negative connotations I believe. You see I always ask my clients what they predict when we are working towards their next ‘A’ race. For someone chasing a sub 3.30 marathon – having a PB of 3:45, a 3:35 would have been an undoubted success. Now chasing a sub 3:29.59 - a 3:30:00 is an annoying failure by 1 second – and there are plenty I know with a 3.00.00 and a 3:15:00. None of whom are truly thrilled about their time, I can tell you no matter how good it was to run quickly. I remember a 3:30:55 which really cheesed me off as I needed a sub 3:30 to qualify for the London-to-Brighton 55 mile Road Race.
Then again setting the bar so low that you ALWAYS achieve your goal, well that’s a slow decline to ‘Averageness’ in my book. I mean, why even bother? Winning every time must become boring – where’s the interest and the thrill in achieving something that becomes ordinary every time you do something?
Knowing where to set your bar? Well that’s the $64M Dollar question. If you work for a large corporation, your latest PDR will have no doubt pointed you in the right direction. If you are bit more of a one-man band - well your nearest and dearest will probably be your best critics. I'm great at setting folks 'Bars'...
Personally, I’ve always set my bar high. Very High – but not so high that things have been unachievable. Possibly a little safe but on the whole but pitched just about right for my desires. Achieving has always been the aim and I’d say I’ve had a good run for my money.
So, maybe you could consider where you pitch your aims and aspirations. Are they too outrageous – never to be achieved? Or are you just bobbing along, not rippling the water and in need of a new vision.
Listen to the track, you have just over an hour to consider how high your 'Bar' needs to be, and when you find out, please let me know. ☺
1025 Marathons, 248 ULTRAS, 9 Guinness World Records & 15 Marathon des Sables
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