40. Raise $2,500 for a cause

Continuing with the Outside The Life List I also picked 40. Raise $2,500 for a Cause.  However, because 9. Overachieve also appeals to me I decided to double that to $5,000.  I have signed up with Team in Training, started in 1988 and often credited with creating the cause-fitness model of people raising funds for charity while competing in an endurance event. Team in Training is a fundraising program that benefits The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org). Each year, they train 40,000 people for marathons, half marathons, century bike rides, triathlons, and hike adventures.  Team in Training participants have fundraised close to $1billion.

In all honesty, this goal is selfishly tied to getting in the best shape of my life.  In a 2008 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine it was found that motivation increases the more an individual meets three criteria: autonomy (self directed), competence (measurable improvement), and relatedness (a purpose and connection with something larger than oneself).  That last item means that if I let up on my fitness and fail to complete the triathlon that all my donors expect me to finish, I will not only let myself down, but others as well.

So with the addition of the tote board to my blog counting down my fundraising progress as well as an easy link to donate, my first three goals of writing, getting in the best shape of my life and now giving back are linked with the synergy that is often sited as so crucial to being successful in a holistic well being sense.