In the world of sayings, there's one that asks, "How do you eat an elephant?" The person being asked has no clue, so the asker replies, "One bite at a time." This strange, and kinda grossy to think about, saying is a teacher/mentor/coach's dream. It's about breaking big tasks down into manageable parts to complete to work toward the end goal.
I don't usually write my books this way, but I'm writing one this way now. I have this huge topic with more information than I know what to do with, so I'm writing it in self-contained chapters, one at a time, instead of starting a book and writing until it's done. It's a new process, but I'm open to new things so it's working.
Running, on the other hand ... I have always and will continue to eat this elephant one bite at a time. This is my 8th year participating in Under Armour's You vs. the Year challenge. In this challenge, you run or walk 1,023 kilometers (1,022 last year). My first year - 2016 - I ran it in six months, and because I've done that before, I plan my running calendar to run it in six months each year.
That's quite a goal. It's 635.66 miles. Being a planner, I'm compelled to work out a system to accomplish it. To finish in six months I have run 170.5km each month. I rounded up to 171 and from there broke down how many km I'd need for each outing for 20, 25 or 30 days in January. I give myself options because I don't want to get frustrated and quit because I've deviated from my plan. I'd love to run 30 days this month, but realistically I won't get in that many runs and to keep my body in top working condition, I probably won't want to. I ran every day last August to finish YvsTY in six months and ended up with a sore hip and had to take the next two months off. This early in the game I have nothing to gain by overextending.
What is your current elephant? Do you need to clean out the garage, write a resume or finish reading a book you know will change your life? Do you need to update your blog or website? Whatever your elephant, it can be eaten one bite at a time. Stop procrastinating, silence the fearful thoughts and break it down into bite-sized pieces.
Write out your plan for eating. I don't believe you're serious about anything if you don't have it written down. Until you put it on paper, it's just a nice idea floating around in your head like a balloon that's been released and is headed up into the sky. Grab hold of the string before it gets away by writing your plan. If you lose it, you'll look back a year from now and will still be saying, "I need to clean out the garage."
If you need help with planning a project, book, business, etc. schedule a mentoring call, book a package or consider joining one of my empowerment groups. You have more potential than you realize and I'd be honored to walk with you as you grow into the best you possible.