Pacing Yourself
Athletes need to pace themselves so they can finish and win their various competitive events. They need to avoid mistakes such as going too fast and getting exhausted so they can’t make a good finish. Equally frustrating can be going at too slow a pace so that they don’t place high enough to make the winner’s circle. Pacing is likewise important in the pursuit of various life goals such as investing, obtaining higher education degrees and pursuing careers of our choosing. For athletes, and for anyone pursuing a worthwhile goal, pacing is an essential skill that can make the difference between getting there and falling short.
For athletes, pacing is a skill learned during countless training days and races .Those of us who are burning the midnight oil pursing our adult education while holding down hectic jobs and raising children, can similarly become skilled at pacing ourselves through learning from our mistakes. When, for example, we see that we are too busy and or exhausted to enjoy the best things in life such as time with family and children that is when we know that maybe doubling up on classes to graduate faster wasn’t such a good idea. Conversely, if we see that taking too long a break between classes is taking the fire from our bellies, it is time to step on the gas and drive our educational goals harder. Learning to pace ourselves may at times mean giving up that movie in favor of studying, but it can also mean setting aside the pursuit of excellence long enough to share an evening meal with our family members.
For athletes to pace effectively, means they need to know exactly where and when to spend their energy, and how much energy they have available to spend. They must know how long their event is going to last and what intensity they can maintain for that duration. The same rules apply for pursuing an adult education. The longer one has to attend school in pursuit of a degree, the more important it is to hold back and plug along at a pace one can sanely maintain. Just as sprinting too fast in an Ironman distance event can make even reaching the finish line difficult, doubling classes in pursuit of a four-year degree can burn out a student’s motivation and stop him or her from reaching graduation.
Pacing is the golden rule of finishing, be it a marathon, the 100-meter dash or a higher education degree. In all cases, you must pace yourself if you hope to succeed.
