100 Pedals

Recovery for Parents Dealing with Addiction in their Families

## Big Goals are a Recipe for Big Disappointments

May 29, 2025 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

“Before you can climb the mountain, you have to first learn to walk.”

Goal setting is a very dangerous proposition. We often put a great deal of time, energy, thought and effort in creating goals. Unfortunately, few people celebrate their accomplishment. We have all learned it is a lot easier to create a lofty goal than it is to achieve one.

Through my 100 Pedals journey, I have developed an entirely different perspective on goals and goals setting. As I celebrated the accomplishments of 100 Pedals, I would have been the first to declare that focus, commitment, and positive engagement would drive you to your goals.

Upon further reflection, I am not entirely certain it is that easy. Developing, executing, and achieving a goal is just not that simple. While those behaviors need to exist in the success formula, there is more to achieving a goal than simply writing it down, making a commitment, and positively focusing on its achievement.

Getting to any incredible outcome starts with the basics. Mental, emotional, and physical fitness is not something you simply start doing. It requires time, attention, and experience. It is from the foundation of previous successes that future, bigger accomplishments are defined and achieved.

Too many of us declare the big change we desire in our life without realizing how unprepared we are for such a journey. This does not mean that such outcomes are not possible. It merely means that we need to create a vision for our success and incrementally move forward towards it.

Last weekend I set an objective for my bike riding that pushed the limits for me. The quest was what I called the 100/100 Challenge. The challenge was to ride 100KM (62.1 miles) on Sunday. This would be further than any ride I had made. The other part of the challenge was to follow up on Monday with a 40 mile bike ride. This would give me a two-day total of 100 miles – hence, the 100/100 Challenge.

While it was physically challenging, I was prepared for it. My overall riding experience, my recent training routine, and my mini-challenges had prepared me for this mission. As a result, I had created a foundation that facilitated the accomplishment of this stretch goal.

The realization of any goal is less about focus, commitment, and energy than it is about preparation, consistency and vision. When it comes to achievement, here are the critical, fundamental steps necessary to take you to your defined objective:

1. Simplicity: Keep your initial objective very simple. You are at the early stage in your success training. Make a commitment to start doing something every single day for 100 Days. Celebrate where that accomplishment takes you, discover what you learn about yourself, and explore what you would like to accomplish next.
2. Vision: Focus on what your vision — the outcome of your achievement – looks and feels like. It is not crossing of the finish line, the weight loss, or more money that drives or inspires you. It is what accomplishment allows you to celebrate, feel or enjoy. That is the vision of your success. Create and capture a mental image of that with you wherever you go.
3. Inspiration: Positive energy is contagious. Find joy and peace in your quest and your progress. Share what you are living and experiencing as a result of your accomplishment in positive terms. Your commitment is a celebration of change and opportunity. The words you use to describe, define, and share are how others will view it and hear it. Make your challenge fun, exciting, and adventurous and you will inspire and be inspired.

Next time you decide to burden yourself with a huge goal, stop. Instead, create a vision for your life, start out simple, and define how to begin living that vision every single day for the rest of your life. The outcome will be much more rewarding and is much closer than you realize.

Filed Under: Celebrating Accomplishment, Focusing On Your Vision, Inspirational Perspectives, Maintaining Focus, Make A Commitment

## After The Celebration

May 21, 2025 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

“Celebrate the accomplishment; be inspired by the journey and the lesson!”

Accomplishment is a wonderful experience. We achieve, we celebrate and then we move on. Unfortunately, the moving on part is not always easy. Now that we have realized a success, what’s next?

In this graduation season, we witness people celebrating a great achievement. They did the work, put in their time, and have been recognized for it. Now what? Graduation is not the end; it is merely a step toward another beginning. After graduation everyone moves on to the next stage in their lives.

Like graduation, most of our achievements are celebrations…

…successfully running a marathon or completing that 10K race

…achieving a weight target or overcoming a health issue

…getting that promotion or finally landing that new job

Regardless of what we are celebrating, eventually we have to get back into our “routine” and get busy. That is the harsh reality of any achievement – we don’t get to stop and celebrate for long.

There is an element of achievement that is often lost in this process. It is the lesson of the experience associated with our accomplishment. While we often remember and internalize the euphoria and celebration of our achievements, the more powerful takeaway is the lessons in the experience.

Achievement does not simply come by accident. Attainment of a goal or realization of a vision involves time, commitment, and focus. Getting to any outcome involves a consistent effort toward that goal. Every single day brings a new experience, a different challenge, and a unique obstacle. With each new adventure comes an opportunity to learn, grow, and develop. Without these experiences, these challenges and these lessons, the accomplishment would not be as rewarding or incredible. It is through our success in adversity that we appreciate and celebrate our accomplishments.

The next time you find yourself creating a vision for your success and begin to craft a roadmap for that desired outcome, remember how you accomplished and succeeded before. Every one of us has something that we can look back on and celebrate. In that accomplishment is the lesson of experience. In that outcome, there is also confidence and ability.

Every one of us has accomplished a great deal in your life. We all have successes and achievements that we are proud of and enjoy reflecting upon. While we cannot go back and relive those moments, we can reflect on what we learned and did in order to achieve and celebrate. Those are the lessons that can inspire and drive you forward today.

Every celebration, every achievement, and every accomplishment is the result of a focused and committed effort. It is the result of hard work and time and overcoming obstacles. That is the lesson from the outcome. While you may not be able to stay on the mountain and celebrate your achievement for long, the lessons and the confidence of the experience will drive you forward to the next one. They are also what inspires you to engage and celebrate your normal and routine life every single day.

Filed Under: Focusing On Your Vision, Inspirational Perspectives, Learning From Experience, Maintaining Focus, Make A Commitment

## Understanding Accomplishment

May 14, 2025 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

Accomplishment is a relentless blend of focused commitment to vision, the ability to succeed in adversity and the confidence that little steps lead to big results.

The other day I had a conversation with a person who was lamenting the fact that there a lot of people who “struggle to get the things they want in life.” No matter how hard they try, they simply don’t achieve their goals. And, there are others who seem to “effortlessly hit their goals and live their dreams.”

The more we talked, the more they shared their disappointment with their lack of progress in realizing the success they desired in their life. Part of their frustration was the perceived ease with which other people go through life. While it is true that some people are more adept at certain skills and have the ability to accomplish some things easier than others, this does not mean that they simply discovered success – they still had to work for it, struggle through failures, and maintain a focused effort.

We rarely see the challenges, struggles, frustrations and failings of those who are successful. We only see the byproduct of that effort. We only see and witness the outcome of their success and the momentum created by their accomplishments.

When a farmer plants his crops in the field, we see a guy driving his tractor, tilling the soil, watering his fields, etc. It is only when he loads up his barn do we actually see the fruits of his labor. It all looked so easy. Anybody can plant, water, grow and harvest, right? We all know that is not true. There are aspects to farming that we may never see. For example, many farmers are up before dawn. Unless you are up at dawn you wouldn’t see that. Sometimes crops fail. Unless you went to the market on a regular basis, you wouldn’t know that. There are weeds, pests, and insects that can threaten a crop. We wouldn’t see or understand the process or the work associated with managing that. To the ignorant eye, a farmer just tools around in his tractor waiting for his crops to be harvested.

The same is true for those who seem to ease into their successes. There are stories, experiences, failures, and behaviors that have led to their success. Yes, some are more talented and skilled which make succeeding seem easier. But, that doesn’t mean it was easy. And, you have your own unique gifts, talents, and skills that give you an edge in other areas that make things seem easier for you in the eyes of others.

When it comes to accomplishment, especially with those who are frustrated with their relative results, there are three realities:

1. Is your goal is too “BIG”? Everyone desires to do something amazing. And, when many people set goals, their goals are based on incredible outcomes in unreasonable time frames. Going “big” is a wonderful story of accomplishment when realized. While significant outcomes are possible and achievable, all success starts with little steps, smaller accomplishments, and some sense of momentum. Going for big is awesome – it is also a huge burden. Building and creating momentum around smaller accomplishments builds confidence and identifies a path for a future of successes.
2. Is your time frame is too long”? In our society we want everything now. We want to lose weight instantly. We want success to come quickly. What people don’t see in those that are incredibly successful is how much time, effort, energy, and failure have been invested to facilitate their success. I am a firm believer in creating incremental success plans in 100 Day blocks. Focus on a single achievement in 100 Days, realize your outcome, create another, and move forward. You will get where you desire to go provided you can maintain the focus and the commitment to get there.
3. How clear is the vision of success and accomplishment? Finally, the goal is not the desired outcome. It is merely a yardstick. What drives us is a desire to feel as it relates to the accomplishment – more time, more energy, more freedom, more influence, more joy, more peace, etc. When people get away from simple goal setting and attach a vision of what that success or accomplishment allows, they will be better equipped to work through the frustrations and challenges of time and adversity.

Accomplishment is a focused effort. It is rarely easy. It almost never comes instantaneously. And, it requires a commitment to the outcome despite the perceived lack of progress. Your successes are not defined or critiqued by how or what others do. Your successes are defined by your vision of accomplishment, the path you traveled to get there, and the lessons learned and shared along the way. Remember what is important to you and keep your eye on your commitment.

Filed Under: Celebrating Accomplishment, Focusing On Your Vision, Inspirational Perspectives

## The Best You That You Can Be

May 7, 2025 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

“Who we are has already been defined; how we live, share, and embrace it is the breakthrough on our journey.”

How many times have you half-jokingly said to someone, “I am trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up“?

Why become anything? Why not be the best you that you can be?

Everything that you need “to be” already exists within you. You have already been blessed with unique gifts, skills, talents, and abilities. Whether you have realized or discovered them or not, they have always existed in you.

Many of us spend so much time trying to become something is because we have not yet discovered the awesome power embracing who we are. Until we discover who we are — what gives us passion, gives and gets us energy, and where we find our happiness and peace — we are stuck trying to become something, rather than simply being ourselves.

This is a difficult lesson. We have spent our entire life trying to discover a role for ourselves. Based on what we believe about ourselves, what we have heard from others, or how we have been taught in school, we have always pursued a role for our life. Many have defined success and happiness in life by our financial successes, our job titles, our vacations, and our status in the community. All of these yardsticks play to our belief that who we are is defined by how successful we are at playing a role.

What happens when you lose your job, your wealth, your house, or your community status? What happens when you are kicked off the stage and lose the role you have embraced or been connected to for so long? It is in the loss of a roles that you may start to wonder who you really are because you have been dependent on this role for so long. Often, this is an unsettling and disturbing process. For many, there comes a stark reality that they aren’t really certain they are happy or comfortable with the role they have been playing; however, they have no idea how to connect or rediscover themselves.

In my journey, I recently came to the realization that everything I did was defined by creating something big. I have shared this discovery in a previous blog. Rather than simply embracing my passion for sharing the lessons of my life experiences as a resource for others, I focused on creating things that needed to become big in order for my passion to be legitimized or valued.

It was my quest for building things that could become awesome, that blocked my ability to simply guide and embrace what it is and what it will be. Once I let go of all the building and construction of something big, I discovered the gift of my experiences for what they already were. That is when I realized there is so much more energy, passion, and opportunity in the authenticity of simply being.

While this may be a puzzling concept, at first, I am confident that with patience and honest introspection you can retire the actor and embrace your authentic passion.

You know what energizes you. You know what gives you the greatest joy. Explore why those things are so important to you. Focus not on the role but on the emotional experiences and the joy associated with them. Embrace these emotional experiences. Focus less on what you were doing and more on what you were thinking, feeling, and being. Make a commitment to yourself that you are going to seek out and live in that mindset and experience every day. As that attitude, energy, and emotion become part of your behaviors and mindset, you will become more aware of activities, conversations, and opportunities that better match with who you are.

This may take some time. It may take some work. The most powerful advice I can offer through this process is to avoid creating or defining roles for this process – for it will only put you back on stage as an actor in your life, not a passionate person living their life. Be open and receptive to those that come into your life. As you come to and live this reality of who you are, the people you are drawing in are those with which your gifts resonate most. Connect with them, share with them, and learn from them.

As you shift from becoming to being, you will find incredible peace, joy, happiness, and energy. And, you will discover what the future holds for you without having to concern yourself with becoming anything. Now, go be the best you that you can be!!

Filed Under: Inspirational Perspectives, Live With Passion, Living Your Purpose