There is a difference between wanting to achieve a goal and committing to it.   You don’t get what you want, you get what you plan and work for.  I planned and committed to running a marathon and then I did it.  End of story?  Hardly . . . there is a little more to the full story.  After all, no major goals are met in a straight line with smooth sailing along the way.  Having a plan and committing to it, however, can increase your odds of success.

For years I had talked about wanting to run a marathon.  First, I wanted to do it before I turned “40.”  Then, as I approached my 50^th birthday, I realized it had been ten years and I was still talking about running it.  I was squirreling back and forth about running a marathon and realized there would never be a perfect time in my life to do it.  While I had been waiting for that perfect time, ten years had gone by!

I tried to get a number in a lottery two years in a row and did not get one (me and 50,000 others).  So, I took that as a sign.  Oh well.  Then, I heard you could get a number by running for a charity and fundraising.  Well, wait a minute.  Now it could be possible.  There went that excuse.

I hemmed and hawed and couldn’t decide if I actually was going to go for it and run.  If I ran for a charity, in addition to training physically for the marathon, I would have to fundraise and ask friends and family for money–something I hate to do.  But then I remembered that I had supported others in their fundraising efforts over the years for different charities or different walks, runs, etc.  So, was fundraising just another excuse of why I couldn’t run a marathon?

I tortured myself for weeks trying to decide.  I asked my kids, husband, and friends and got various responses (some negative and some positive).  I went to the library and looked at books about marathon running.  I watched a documentary about running a marathon.  I even googled the celebrities that had run marathons.

I still couldn’t pull the trigger.  Was that a sign I didn’t really want to do it bad enough?  In the end I didn’t want to be someone who would still be talking about wanting to run a marathon when I was 70.  Would it be better to go for it, try and fail, then to never have tried at all?  I then realized there is a difference between wanting to achieve a goal and committing to it.

I was sitting in front of my computer, having filled out the marathon registration information online to commit to fundraise for a charity and be guaranteed entry into the marathon.  As I sat in front of my computer screen, with the cursor on the enter button, my son came home from school.  He saw me squirreling back and forth, should I do it or not I asked?  He came over to the computer, hit the enter button, and said, “there, now you have to do it.  You seemed like you needed a little help or you may have never hit the button.”

From that point forward I committed to running the marathon.  Well . . . actually . . . the next morning, when I first woke up, I had a few moments of panic, feeling totally overwhelmed, like “what have I just done.”  But it passed and after that, I never looked back.  It was no longer about “if I run the marathon  . . .; instead it was “when I run the marathon . . ., when I cross the finish line . . .”  The next step was finding a marathon training plan that would work for me and following it.  A friend gave me a plan that I put in a binder that sat on my desk and I reviewed each day.  Some days, weeks, and months seemed more daunting than others, but having that plan was a life line I clung to throughout my training, including physically checking off each day/run with a pen.

Whether training for a marathon or going to law school, find a plan and commit to follow it. No one plan works for everyone.  There is no perfect plan that will magically bring you to the finish line; however, without a plan you will more likely stumble blindly along your journey without a clear sense of purpose and direction, haphazardly and mindlessly moving from one point to another to reach your destination.  Having a plan will also help you break down what may seem like an impossible goal into smaller digestible pieces.  Be as specific as possible in your plan so you can commit to each step along the way and measure your progress towards achieving your goal.  Finally, make sure your plan includes steps to foster your well-being.

A good place to start is to review plans that already exist and modify them to fit your needs.  There are a wealth of resources online and in books that you can review for a plan that is a good fit for you.  For marathon trainings your plan make include the following.  How many days a week will you run?  How many miles a day will you run?  What stretches will you do prior to and after you run?  What will you do to cross-train? Have you built in a rest day?  For law school planning, think about what your weekly study schedule look like.  Your law school’s academic support department may have samples.  What will your class preparation and post-class review for each class include?  When will you devote time to reviewing your class notes?  When will you outline? How will you incorporate breaks into your schedule?  What will you do to alleviate stress and stay healthy?  Does your law school have any wellness events or programs you can attend?

Once you have a plan, commit to it. Having a plan and committing to it will help you reach your destination.  As the saying from the Army goes, “proper planning prevents poor performance.”