Goals.

This is the time of the year that I used to start thinking about goals. Races I wanted to do well in. Weight I wanted to lose. Numbers I wanted to hit... all those sorts of things.
 
I don't spend a lot of time thinking about goals anymore. For me, goals are a great thing and a horrible thing. Goals give me something to work towards, but once I reach them I tend to flounder for an extended amount of time. If I fail to reach a goal that I worked diligently towards and felt was firmly in my grasp, I flounder as well.
 
I could go for a "low hanging fruit" kind of goal, but that only serves to inflate my already healthy sense of superiority.

 I could set goals that are unobtainable, but I'm lazy and would lose interest.
 
I gave up on goals.
 
So, what I'm left with are just vague hopes for the upcoming season. Nothing concrete, tied down to a date or a specific measurement, but rather wishes that require none of the focus or actual work like chasing goals does.
 
2017 Hopes
  • I hope I have fun.
  • I hope I can keep the weight in check.
  • I hope I can avoid crashing so much.
  • I hope I can improve in some small way and be satisfied with the progress.
  • I hope I can win a race or two, or at least place well enough on a consistent basis to preserve the illusion.
  • I hope I can get out and ride more.
  • I hope my competitors all get fat and don't ride so much.
  • I hope I see a whole lot of new and old faces at the races, week after week.
  • I hope to be surprised, in a good way.
"Remember, Red... Hope is a good thing... Maybe the best of things... And no good thing ever dies."
- The Shawshank Redemption

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