Mindfulness ✪

To be conscious or aware of something

Bonus for the vision, mission, and values statement series.

For a deeper dive, I liked this article from Don Hofstrand: Vision and Mission Statements – a Roadmap of Where You Want to Go and How to Get There. In this he makes the roadmap even more actionable by having the statement cascade as follows: Vision > Mission > Strategy > Goal > Objective > Action Plan.

As an example one of my visions is a strong body. My mission is to have functional strength so I can stay athletic and durable. Strategies I have include lifting weights 3-4 times a week. Goal is to have a squat, hinge, upper body push, upper body pull, and core exercise in my lifting sessions. Objective is a lifelong timeline, but with strategic phases depending on what I'm working towards. Action plan is the lift I have written out for my session.

If you've been following along and have a specific vision and mission you're working towards I like this strategy to build an implementable plan and take action towards achieving your goals.

Mentionable ✪

Refer to something briefly without going into detail. Important or noteworthy, memorable

With the weather getting nicer, if you're wanting to start getting into running I cannot stress enough how important it is to gradually work up and ease yourself in. I don't always take this advice myself, but I clearly learned the hard way (even with the foundation I had) since I still got injured during my marathon training for taking on too much too soon.

If you're just starting out, it is perfectly fine to start with a walking and jogging 1 mile. (PS - It is okay to walk and jog. It's like building in intervals for yourself and will improve your running over time.) Do that every other day for a week or two until you can fully jog 1 mile. Then repeat this for however long it takes you to get to 2 miles. As you increase your mileage you'll have to increase your recovery so this pattern isn't necessarily linear. But I'd say for most people a good bench mark is to be able to run a 5k and you can use this method to work up to a 5k.

I have plenty more running tips like shoes and exercises for running longevity, but this is a solid starting point.

Motivation ✪

Meant to inspire: being mentally stimulated to do or feel something

"I choose to make the rest of my life the best of my life" — Louise Hay