Now that obligatory startup bit is over, I’d like to talk about running.

This picture (by mrhayata) is sadly not me, but it captures how running makes me feel. I started with a beginners’ group about three months ago (I always seem to get on better with hard stuff if I join groups) and after wheezing my way to a 30 second trot in week one, I am now entering my first 5K run in, ooh, about two weeks’ time.

I’m pretty scared, but also excited. Running is great, for me – at this stage, there’s measurable progress each and every time I run. I manage things now I don’t think I could ever have done. I get off the treadmill or return home and suddenly think wow, I ran for twenty-five minutes straight or wow, that was Arthur’s Seat or other such things. Sure, by my marathon-running flatmate’s standards, I’m barely even walking, but it’s still — shiny numbers going up, progress, and achievement. Microrewards are definitely how I motivate, and why I run.

Today I met a personal goal of mine that I started last summer. It hasn’t been an easy ride, but by gradually setting smaller goals while focusing on the big picture, altering fundamental behaviour and habits, keeping things interesting with experimentation and adding a social element, it’s seemed a lot easier than it really was. I’ve learned a lot about goal-setting and achieving as a result, but many blogs cover these topics — what I haven’t seen written about as much is what happens next.

Depending on the goal, meeting it is everything. Once that deadline’s over, that mountain scaled, you’re done. For more generic, ongoing goals – things like “I want to manage my money”, “I want to get fit”, you’re putting changes in place while achieving the goal that will help you maintain the end state once you get there. However, without anything to motivate you to continue, it’s easy to slip from the mark.

What I’ve done is extend my goal. I’m happy with what I’ve achieved, but having something slightly further away – and a lot harder – to work towards is going to keep me motivated. I’ve also built in other life goals into this one, combining fitness goals with personal finance and development ones, so I’m motivated to work on other areas as well as focus on the one I know I can achieve.

I will briefly reiterate the most common piece of life-hack advice when it comes to goal setting: be specific and set a deadline (yes, yes, be SMART). It makes the moment when you reach that goal very tangible, and also extremely awesome.