Chasing Arbitrary Goals
Chasing arbitrary goals might sound entirely that, arbitrary. But I’d argue it’s one of the most important things we can do.
Arbitrary goals intersect greatly with perspective, and provide an engaging philosophical inquiry, especially when it comes to running. I have written about perspective on how our sport fits into the world before. This is a tricky subject that requires balance and depth of thought. I recommend you read this blog from a few years back, I dive a bit more into a specific quote I like on the topic. It talks about having the balance of understanding that your goals aren’t the most important thing in the world, while also holding the understanding that they offer great value and are well worth your time and effort to chase.
While our running goals are certainly arbitrary, regardless of level, the beauty is in the arbitrary nature of them. For 99.9%+ of us, no result or outcome from our running goals will change our life. I would argue even at the top level, winning an Olympic gold medal changes an athlete’s life temporarily, but even the joy and social currency from that will eventually fade.
An aside: I recently listened to a conversation with Peter Carlisle discussing this exact phenomenon at length. Give it a listen. Carlisle’s big thesis, and as I’ve written about before here, it’s in the process of chasing something that offers the highest value. Not the outcome itself. Let’s make outcomes byproducts of the processes we create, the habits and behaviors we consistently exhibit. Outcome goals can serve as a standard of excellence you want to hold yourself to, but the consistent rumination on outcome goals is a waste of mental energy and time. Use that energy to put into processes, and “what can I do right now to better myself then” thinking.
This raises the question, if the outcome is arbitrary, why chase it at all? What are we doing? We’re playing, chasing, pushing, challenging, and much much more. The value lies most heavily in the chase. Just because you’re doing something arbitrary, doesn’t mean there’s no value there. In fact, I think it might give you more freedom to apply yourself in new ways to these pursuits. Similar to struggling with a math problem in high school, when you struggle for a little bit, you end up with more skill and knowledge because of the different paths you tried to take to get to an answer. When you layer in the arbitrary nature of something, it also relieves some of the pressure to be right, good, or to “nail it.” This release of the fear of failure is key for learning and exploring. After all, Yoda did say “train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.” The chasing of an arbitrary goal provides the opportunity for discovery and will give you more sustained purpose and meaning than any result might.
This chase is also a form of play in my eyes. Play is an essential part of skill development for children, but also has efficacy for adults (there’s even a paradox in saying play is “efficacious” as well). Running gives us the space to play. We can literally feel like playing when we’re running fast, or up a hill many times, or discovering a new route, but it also provides the space for us to play mentally. Doing something because we want to, and find joy in it, for solely that reason is something we don’t get to do a lot of in life. Much of our life is constrained by jobs, timelines, and other responsibilities (which are all important too). But when we are training for something that is “arbitrary,” we open up a space where we can let go of that and explore. Additionally, it’s simply fun and sort of thrilling to run. Regardless of speed, the simple act of running is something that’s engrained in our biology, and can bring joy. Plain and simple.
Further, the greatest part is that what you might learn from chasing an arbitrary goal is entirely individual. Chasing an arbitrary goal is akin to asking a question, and some “answers” will arise. The most exciting and meaningful things you can find are in the pursuit of these arbitrary goals. As commonplace as it is to say “it’s in the journey,” it really is.
Arbitrary goals are a form of play. They’re a non-essential for life, that may uncover things about yourself you can only find through pursuing them. They are often the first thing to go when shit hits the fan, but they are an important piece of the “life puzzle” to keep. The goal itself won’t change your life, but what you find along the way just might.
So what are some actionable steps?
- Identify some arbitrary goals. Whether these are outcome or process based, write them down, and display them somewhere you can see them everyday as a reminder. Remember, outcome goals are best to serve as a reminder to the standard of excellence you want to uphold.
- Write about your journey and the chase of these goals. This could be in the form of a log, or a journal, or even a Strava caption. But writing about what you’re doing will force you to reconcile with the journey you’re on. I once heard “writing forces clarity,” so let it help you discover why chasing arbitrary goals is important to you.
