Page 96 - Hard Goals

Animated 87

says with a good-natured smile. “But I’ve been running mara-
thons since college, and it’s one thing I demand remains mine.”
Geena has to play a bit of a trick on her brain in order to
fi nd the time to train and run. “If I tell myself it’s all about
me, I start to feel guilty. Instead of running I could be help-
ing my husband or going to one of my kids’ games or events.”
So Geena only signs herself up for charity runs, “Not exactly
a diffi cult endeavor in this day and age when we are running
to raise money for everything from cancer to animal rights,”
Geena remarks.
“It’s easy to see myself running, I love it,” she says. “But the
part that’s really essential for me to get down on paper, and to
review every day so I stick to my goal, is how my running will

bring benefit to really worthy causes. I mean, I really try to see
the faces of the people I am going to help. Otherwise I’ll cave
and stay home and bake cookies for my kids instead of fi nding
the time to fi t in my four miles.”
Geena has a heartfelt connection to her goal to run. But
without the aid of a clear vision, and the written version of that
vision to keep her on track, she’s the fi rst to admit she probably
wouldn’t see it through.

DRAW WITH YOUR WORDS

Remember at the beginning of the chapter when I said that
great goal setters, like Kennedy, King, and Reagan, were mas-
ters of using highly visual language? Well, I want to give you
one more technique so that should you fi nd yourself in a situ-
ation that doesn’t allow for pictures, you can draw with your
words.