Tomorrow I am cycling from London to Paris, as part of a group of 10. We aim to complete the 300-mile route in three days, and after extensive calculations I’ve worked out that this means I must cycle 100 miles every day!
Although I enjoy cycling I’m by no means addicted. The furthest I’ve ridden in my training is about 60 miles, and so I find the idea of cycling 100 miles somewhat daunting.
A few years ago, however, I did ride the Coast-to-Coast route with a couple of friends (see picture). Although shorter than London-to-Paris, the ride did instill in me the importance of milestones management.
You cannot focus simply on the 100-mile journey; you must break it down into smaller distances – reaching a certain town, cycling until 11.00 am, or cycling to the top of a climb, for example – and then reward yourself for reaching that particular milestone. The reward might involve stopping for lunch, calling my wife or simply having another energy bar, and may be private (only I know I’ve achieved it) or public (high-fives all round!).
It’s the same in business. You must turn your longer-term goals into shorter-term objectives and milestones, and then celebrate each and every achievement. Like my ride, your journey may be uncomfortable, tiring and somewhat longer than you expected, but if you can focus on reaching the next milestone you might just surprise yourself with what you can achieve.
Note: We are riding on behalf of The Prostate Cancer Charity. You can sponsor us by clicking here.
© Stuart Cross 2011. All rights reserved.