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Set a goal, any goalBy Maria Bailey This week my goal is to run and finish the Chicago Marathon. As race day quickly approaches and I enjoy lunches of pasta, I wonder why anyone would want to run 26.2 miles. Why would any sane person, get excited about running a distance that takes more than 5 hours to complete? More importantly, I wonder why God didn't bless me with faster feet or the lungs necessary for speed. Within my questioning mind, I know there are many reasons for running. It allows me to sneak into my kid's Oreos and wash them down with a glass of whole milk once a week. It allows me to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when I am too tired to make a real dinner. It allows me to enjoy a frozen Milky Way. And running allows me to eat and still fit into my size 10 jeans. Another benefit of running is the time it gives me to think. It's difficult to describe all the things you think about when you take a long run. In fact, I'd go as far to say that your thoughts get weird. A rock on the sidewalk can provoke the strangest stream of conscience. There have been times when I imagined myself running in the Olympics, analyzed the marketing strategy of the gas stations I pass and contemplated the family history of the homeless sleeping on the beach. One of the greatest benefits is getting to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean. It helps you not only understand why millions of people pay to vacation in South Florida but also why I gave up experiencing the change of seasons a long time ago. Watching another day begin is a moving moment. One of the amazing things is seeing how many people come to the beach to share in the wonder of the sunrise. Some are Friday night revelers still out from the night before. Some are seniors reading the newspaper from the comfort of their car front seat and every now and then there is a religious group baptizing one of its members in the ocean. All the while I just keep running and running and running. BlueSuitMom.com is a benefit of my running. It was while training for the New York Marathon that I built the business plan for BlueSuitMom. I can take you to the exact spot where I came up with the name for the site. In fact, it was at mile 19 of a 20 mile run and every Saturday when I pass over the spot, I silently thank God, my husband, my business partner Rachael and you our readers for helping me make my dream a reality. I'm sure I look silly as I run for a few feet looking up to Heaven, but it's become a ritual for me. You would think that with all these benefits, I had accurately answered my question. This must surely be the reason for my running? But no, the real reason is the most difficult to explain. The reason I do it is for the unknown. After each marathon I've run and goal I've achieved doing it, something good has happened in my life. Once it was the birth and adoption of my youngest daughter, another the launch of BlueSuitMom.com. I'm not sure what it is, but achieving one goal in your life seems to create momentum or karma in some other area. That's why I run-to keep goals in my life. I once read in a running magazine that you can fake many things in life, but you can't fake running 26.2 miles. No you can't. On Sunday, I have no one but myself to rely on. I will have to call on the help of every muscle, bone and amino acid in my body. It's a goal that although others have helped me prepare to achieve, I must do on my own. And at mile 21 when I hit the wall and I feel tired, when my mind starts drifting and objects on the street carry my thoughts away, I will get my burst of energy from the anticipation of knowing that something good is going to happen to me after I cross the finish line. It might not be Sunday night, next week or even by Thanksgiving. However, I know that by pushing myself to discover my inner strength again, I will experience success somewhere else in my life. So pick a goal. Any goal and go for it! Do you find setting goals creates positive momentuem in your life? Share your thought on our message board or email Maria.
Also see: Maria Bailey is the CEO and founder of BlueSuitMom.com and a mother of four children under the age of seven.
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