The Happiness of Pursuit

No I didn’t flip the words…or maybe you didn’t even notice the order because you’ve been so accustomed to reading “the pursuit of happiness”.

This is about how having a goal, a quest, a passion can add great joy to our lives.

People who set themselves ambitious goals tend to be more satisfied than those with lower expectations, says a study published online in the Journal of Consumer Research.

This is about more than a goal to lose 10lbs or improve your half marathon time…we’re talking about big life changing things. One’s that you simply can’t stop thinking about even though they are going to take lots of time, effort and could mean utter failure.

“If you’re doing something you love, it doesn’t matter that it’s challenging. You can keep going for a long time as long as your motivated…”

In fact, Chris Guillebeau’s quest was to visit every country in the world. HOLY CRAP did you read that?! During the 10 years that he spent on this quest he met many amazing people who are going to inspire you to get after your own real deep down goals and maybe make you reconsider “waiting for the right time”.

WHAT IS A QUEST
While reading The Happiness of Pursuit I simultaneously found myself relating to people’s notion of “if I didn’t try, I’d regret it forever” and it’s not about being miserable, but it’s this feeling that there is MORE…. while thinking I am not sure I’ve ever committed enough to have a quest.I certainly haven’t cooked every recipe from Julia Child or run across the country like Marshall Ulrich.

Sure I’ve got a life list {not a bucket list} and I’ve got mini goals, but I suppose I never realized that I did in fact have a quest because it’s slowly been growing over time.

“There are few goals worth pursuing that are totally risk free.”

Here is how Chris defines the components of a quest:
1. Specific structure – Avoid fuzzy goals, there is no sense of accomplishment or steps to take.
— Example: It’s not I will travel around the world. It’s I will visit every country. Giving you a specific checklist.
2. What resources are required — How much money? Time? Other people?
3. Deadline — Continues to force the goal to be tangible. Gives pressure to keep moving forward
4. Allow the vision to expand — As you

A QUEST GIVES LIFE MEANING
Unfortunately it often takes a monumental life moment like illness or the death of a loved one to push us over the edge to engage in our question and really fill that MORE in our lives.

I knew that running would change my body, I didn’t realize it would change my life.

12 years ago when I set out to run a portion of my normal daily walk, it never occurred to me to think about running as a quest. It wasn’t. Sure I wanted to run a half marathon with friends, but one race does not a quest make…in fact even in 2005 when I ran my first marathon I wouldn’t yet have called it a quest. Something shifted during that training, but it wasn’t all consuming yet.

It was years before I began to realize that running had turned in to something more…it had turned in to something I wanted to build a life around and something that was ultimately changing me on every level.

“You can stop thinking about a hobby, but a quest becomes total fascination.” << This is what really spoke to me…running is not a hobby.

I don’t just run on the weekends to see friends.

I seek out ways to run in new cities
I actively try to speak to great runners from elites to everyday athletes
I quit my full time career to write about running
I read every book I can get my hands on from a runner about a runner mentioning a runner
I became certified for the sole purpose of helping others enjoy running more.
On days I don’t run, I’m largely thinking about the next run
Running has made me more confident in every area of life
Running has taught me how to deal with pain and how to push through
Running has helped me see the world in a new way
Running has well…changed everything
Pacing a good friend in the 2009 Miami Marathon

So what exactly is my quest? I’m not aiming to join the marathon maniacs club, to have a running streak that spans decades and certainly not to qualify for the Olympics.

My quest is both easier and harder. Many of you have heard it a million times: I want to love running until I am very old and very gray and to share with others how it’s more than burning calories.Since my quest has many miles to go before it’s conclusion, you’ll simply have to keep reading (just a measly 60 more years) to find out if I’m successful.

Have you heard of World Domination Summit? It’s one of the things on my life list and hosted by none other than the author of this book! Yet another reason, I was excited to read it. Get inspired by connecting with Chris on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.

Let’s hear your stories in the comments!
Do you have a quest that you’ve been putting off?

Or maybe an amazing one you’ve taken?

Other ways to connect with Amanda

Instagram: RunToTheFinish