Goals......

I've always been a goal oriented person and feel very strongly that goals are what help make us successful, in whatever way we each measure success. If we know what we want to achieve, become, or do, setting a path for ourselves helps us to get there. I have a very vague goal for my recovery - I want to recover healthfully and as quickly as possible. This is my primary goal. And this is the most important goal. I have also set out a secondary goal for myself. I consider secondary goals to be those goals that are "nice-to-achieve", but not necessarily crucial to meet. For example, my primary goal over the past few years has been to get into nurse practitioner school. If I did not meet that goal, it would have been a crushing blow to my career. I set the groundwork many years back to reach that goal, and I made it. However, an example of a secondary goal in school is to achieve all A's. This is a goal that would be nice to meet, but if I do not meet that goal, well, at least it put me on the path to put forth my best effort.

For my recovery, I have set forth a similar goal. Last year, I registered for the Timberman Half-Ironman Triathlon. At the time, I had no idea I would be donating a kidney. I had been considering deferring my entry until next year, but then I thought to myself, "if I drop out, and I find I that could have done it, I would have cheated myself the opportunity to exceed my own expectations." So, my secondary goal is to finish the race. Not race, but just finish. If I make it to the starting line, awesome. If I make it to the finish line, mission accomplished. If I don't......then that is OK. It still gives me something to work towards as I recover, and that is what I will need to motivate myself through the fatigue that I have been told to expect.