Jeff Dauler

I am humbled almost beyond words at the messages I am getting from Bert Show listeners and CNN.com readers, saying that my personal mission to race in Malibu inspires them to change their own lives in some way.  It’s blows my mind to think that I can have that sort of impact.  Thank you.

I am going to focus most of my detailed triathlon stuff here, as not to become one of those Facebook / Twitter people who is constantly updating miles run, calories burned, and target heart rates.  I hate those people.  If I become one, punch me.  If the particulars of my training, nutrition, obstacles, and achievements is of interest to you, check this space often.

In the past 24 hours, I’ve gotten many inquiries from people asking about getting started on their own personal mission of self-improvement, and wondering about the first step.  Here’s my advice, in the form of a proverb spoken by a person far wiser than me:

Little by little, one walks far.

I can’t run 4 miles, bike 18 miles, or swim a half-mile especially not in the same day.  But I know I can walk four miles, and even do some jogging here and there during the walk.  So I’ve done that a few times now.  And I’m no Sanjay Gupta, but I’m going to predict that in 30 days, I’ll be jogging a little more than I am now.  In 90 days, I think I’ll be jogging the whole thing.  And in 180 days, I’ll be RUNNING it. And it all started Monday morning, when I went for a walk.

Find your baby step now.  Take a 20 minute walk today.  Get a bottle of water at the drive-thru instead of a soda.  Have one less cigarette break at work.  Clean one shelf in your disorganized basement.  And when you’re done, decide what your baby step is going to be tomorrow. 

At the end of the month, maybe you walked every other day … that’s 5 HOURS of moving that you didn’t do last month.  Or you drank a dozen less sodas.  You smoked 30 FEWER cigarettes!  Or your basement is halfway clean.

Don’t think of the whole impossible endeavor.  Make one tiny step.

Go.