It Doesn't Matter if it Rains

I love my home office, but I suspect that if a stranger were to see it, they'd think I was a runner, not a writer.
(I'm not a runner. I'm working towards being one, but I still walk more than I run.)

The first thing that catches my eye when I step into my office are my medals. I've got two of them, one for each of the half marathons I've completed.

I intentionally hung them so that they're in line with the door. I can't walk in without seeing them.

The bib from my last half marathon (which I did last August) hangs on the corkboard on the wall behind my computer monitor. It's sort of wrinkled and beaten up.

On the wall opposite it, for those times when I just can't face my computer for one more moment, is a pillow that says "Completing 13.1 Miles Rocks".

So what does all this running stuff have to do with writing? And what in the world does it have to do with rain?

I completed both of my half marathons in the rain. The first, in a full-blown Nor' Easter, and the second, in a storm that dumped three inches of rain in the first hour of the race.

Some people won't train in the rain. It's too challenging, or unpleasant for them. I don't disagree that most of the time it's not what I'd call particularly fun or enjoyable, but I happen to think it's a necessary evil.

Some people won't write without inspiration. It's too challenging and unpleasant. Again, I happen to think it's a necessary evil.

Because here's the thing: lots of people say they want to run a marathon or write a book, but relatively few cross a finish line or type The End (okay, I don't actually type The End, but you know what I mean). Most people don't want to do the rainy day work.

It's the rainy day work that separates the dreamers from those who reach their goals, whether they're running or writing, going back to school, raising funds for a favorite charity, home-schooling their kids, or perfecting their recipe for the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

I don't keep my running mementos in my office to inspire me to get out there and train, I keep them in sight because they're reminders of what I can accomplish when I do the work on the days when I really don't want to.

I know what it feels like to go 13.1 miles (well, in the Nor' Easter, I actually went further than that since the arrows telling runners where to go blew away) and cross a Finish Line.  I know what it feels like to finish writing a book. And I know that working through the rainy days pays off.

Tell Me Killer Friends:  What goals are you chasing down? What past successes inspire your current goals? Do you have any physical reminders of the successes or goals that you keep in sight?