Last issue, I said something I shouldn’t have: “In January 2025, I will announce an epic-for-me goal.”
While I have already sketched out some doable benchmarks this year that involve running, yoga-ing and whittling down the whiskey, I am missing something big.
A challenge that will really push me. A challenge that makes me uncomfortable. A challenge where
I have a better chance to fail than succeed. A challenge that dissuades me from ordering the breakfast croquette special at 43rd Street Deli.
A decade ago, I spent four or five years in a row trying to tackle something that felt monumental — usually some kind of race that danced in the space between “I can do it if I stick to it” and “there’s a good chance I won’t make it.”
Those challenges changed me for the better, but I have since backed off that approach to annual goals. Maybe it’s because as my body ages or my priorities change, I haven’t wanted to engage in something that consumes so many of my thoughts and so much of my time — and that devilishly pushes me to places I naturally don’t want to go.
But today, I’m growing antsy. I’m craving a finish line (even more than I’m craving gravy) and the journey that comes along with trying to get there.
The trouble? I can’t decide what to do.
When I wrote those “I will announce” words last issue, I had something in mind, as I got caught
up in the euphoria of a good workout or two. But I’ve since backed off the idea as it didn’t feel quite right after I simmered on it.
So I ask you for your collective wellness wisdom: What should I do?
Years ago, I completed a marathon (and failed one), I turtled to finish an Ironman just under the time limit, and I slugged through some long- distance obstacle races. The events all pushed me to places that my mind and body have never traveled to before.
So I’m looking for something different. Maybe the goal has to do with getting stronger or faster. Maybe the goal has to do with trying a new sport or adventure. Maybe the goal is something I have never considered before. In any case, I’d love to hear some of your ideas for infusing the next epic experience into my year.
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