Porter Steps

TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE BIG GOALS

On first reading, this statement may seem a little odd. Hear me out first, with a little story....

I remembered when I got my first proper job (some time ago now) and how I used to write down all the things I wanted to buy with my hard earned cash. Little things mostly but important to me at the time. Aahh, how much simpler life was back then! I started off by making a list, then working out how much I could save over time and how many pay cheques it would take to get these things. I realised that I could get the first thing on my list - those Nike Air max - sooner, if I made some changes to how I spent money through implementing improvements in my routine. Things like making my own sandwiches every day, cutting out buying snacks and alcohol and maybe doing the odd job on the side. I had no credit card back then or overdraft - in fact, ATM's weren't so readily available either, so no access to quick cash either. The only option was to earn the money and plan out my goals for when I could spend it. 

This first item on the list wasn't particularly life-changing but something special that I'd really wanted since getting my job. Sticking to a routine day after day for a month had still been tough but I'd managed to acquire my new shoes with the money from my first pay cheque - it was a real boost in confidence. This method worked because I knew what my goal was and what I had to do for a month. It felt like a special achievement and very gratifying when I rewarded myself. After pay day, I could have gone back to the old routine but I'd made a wish-list and some of these items were going to take a lot more than a month to get. 

The next month was a lot easier to stick to because I'd gotten used to the routine of making my own food for lunch - I also started to focus on improving the lunches, mixing it up a bit. So the second month flew by and I bought my Leather Filofax (I actually may dig my old one out again!). This was the place I could write my lists in, organise my schedule and write down the goal dates in my diary.

The 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th months were all rewarding in small but significant ways. Rewarding in stuff I'd bought myself, but also as I'd discovered newer ways to save and make money, became a master at sandwich making and saw great changes in my health, wealth & productivity. And after 9 months of putting away £100, I reached my big goal and bought myself a second hand Korg-M1 Keyboard - acquired 6 months quicker than I'd originally planned. It was (and still is) the very same keyboard that my favourite band, Depeche Mode used in producing their songs! These keyboards cost £1500 new - more than double what my salary was back then in 1992 and not something I thought I could afford on the money I was being paid. 

The moral of this story can be summed up like this:

- Make goals: big and small

- Make realistic time-lines

- Work out a routine

- Start working on what's in front of you right now: ie. the smaller goals

- Reward yourself regularly: it'll make the tasks more enjoyable

- Regularly assess what you need to get to the next goal

- Keep your focus on what's immediately ahead: the small incremental stuff

- The big goals will come sooner than you think 

Another story springs to mind when we walked the Inca trail. 88km over 4 days of walking 6-8 hours a day up and down steps through mountain passes. The going was fairly tough and some of us who were suffering stomach cramps and not adjusting to the altitude well, were not having a great time. But when we climbed the sun gate at 5am on the morning of the 4th day and saw the sunrise over the temple ruins at Machu Piccu - the reason for taking the arduous pilgrimage became clear. I'll never forget the feeling and this memory will always be there to remind me - namely, that doing the things which are the hardest, will give us the greatest rewards. 

27,000+ Porter Steps

When we do something tough - it's based on our perspectives, measured by comparisons to what we've accomplished before. Life can feel like an up-hill struggle but we're all capable of so much more than we think we are. The impossible is being made possible all the time (check out these climbers on El Capitan for a reminder). The thing with making big goals, is that we get caught up with how difficult they seem from the perspective we hold at the time. Doing the inca trail was tough at the time, but I've had far tougher challenges since - because my measures have changed as my perspectives have changed. The porters on the Inca trail walk those thousands of steps day after day, week after week - some with the weight of a person on their backs and wearing shoes made of car tires! Others run the inca trail in under a day. If we keep giving ourselves challenges, we can all reach our goals.....one step at a time.

Final note and acknowledgement:

I try not to just copy and paste but I do keep referencing from blogs, insights and wisdom gained from others. It's because they've taught me, re-affirmed what I already knew plus inspired, encouraged and reminded me to keep on the path I've chosen since since starting Jan 1st 2015. I'm putting the effort in and using the learnings to embark on a steady rise UP on my new chosen path rather than down. If I haven't done so already, I will pass on and continue to show my gratitude to these teachers.

You should find the following links (and many more great blog posts held on their sites) useful.

This is what James Clear clarifies about marginal gains referencing the British Olympic Team & British Tour de France winners and he makes a good point on setting schedules which are tougher to stick to than goals.