HikerGuy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:22 pm
HikerGuy wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:22 pm
HikerGuy wrote: ↑Mon Jan 03, 2022 9:55 am
No goals this year, it only leads to disappointment. That said, good luck to everyone with your pursuits, I hope you crush it!
I'm not disappointed.
Still not disappointed. This no goal thing really worked out well this year!
I have to admit I'm struggling with this issue - that is, whether to set goals or to not set goals. Most of the time I've been at 14ers, I've opted to not set goals, for the same reason as you cite - that it so often leads to disappointment.
However, after several years, 2015-17, and 2019-20, each of which resulted in just two 14ers summited, it occurred to me that I was not setting any goals and for me personally, whatever reason, the result of that was my being very passive and very little getting done.
So in 2021-2022, the last two years, I set strict goals in terms of how many peaks, which peaks I wanted to climb, set up itineraries, and in both cases, planned on the "aggressive" side, pushing the limit just a bit in terms of both quantity and quality. In 2021, I accomplished almost everything I planned. In 2022, not so much. After 2021 when the goals led to 7 new summits, including Little Bear, nemesis Kit Carson (where I had been 0-for-5), and Mt. Wilson, suddenly I was at 44 on the list. I put a plan in place to climb 10 peaks in 2022, all of my remaining Class 3 or Class 4 14ers, and get to 54. Didn't happen. Not even close. I did get Pyramid, North Maroon, and the Eolus pair. However, couldn't get past the log jam at Snowmass. Sleepless night killed the Maroon attempt. Wasn't quite in decent enough shape to get Sunlight / Windom after the hike to Chicago Basin and the Eolus group the previous two days. Crestone got zapped due to bad weather. And El D quietly got bumped to next year.
Obviously, there is an extreme temptation here to throw up my hands and say, wow, I had 10 summits planned and only got 4, what a colossal disappointment. My heart has gone there. However, I've decided that if I can't be happy and thrilled to get Pyramid, North Maroon, and Eolus (3 very challenging peaks), there's something seriously wrong with that. I should probably consider quitting the pursuit if I can't look at that lineup and conclude anything other than, that was an awesome season. This is a hobby and it's supposed to be fun. It's not supposed to be like our jobs, with some supervisor saying, "I'll need an email by the end of the day explaining why the goal was not met". I got into climbing 14ers to escape from that type of mentality, not to embrace it.
I still think setting goals is important, and I intend to do it again in 2023. And to some extent, if I fall short in reaching a goal, I try to have some understanding of why it happened.
However, once the results are final, I think it's really important to throw out the original goal, not calculate percentages and just be happy with what was accomplished. And look forward to the future. I think that can eliminate any potential to be disappointed. Again, this is supposed to be a fun hobby. Not a demanding job. It's very easy for me to forget that.
“Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.” - Ecclesiastes 1:10-11