Goals are strange things – they can motivate and inspire but also leave us feeling bereft when we achieve them, or failures when we find them unattainable.
Since the autumn of last year when we left London after Steve had achieved his goal of running the London Marathon, we’ve been heading slowly, circuitously around the country with one particular goal in mind. We needed to replace the decades old cover at the front of the boat which provides us with vital additional space. It has had a hard life and despite remedial treatment was leaky and torn.
We talked to other boaters for recommendations, visited various companies, and spoke to others for quotes online and over the phone. We chose a supplier. The upshot was that whilst we could have ordered one from them and they could have visited us at a series of locations for measuring and fitting, we decided to travel to them, as they’re in a pleasant part of the country. The appointment was suitably canal-time: “Come around the end of March, beginning of April.”
Through the winter and burgeoning spring, through storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin, we journeyed and diverted to explore new areas, managing work on the way and always with the goal that we were heading eventually at the end of March/beginning of April for Kinver in Staffordshire.
We travelled 577 miles, tackled 351 locks, moved 31 bridges (swing or lift), plunged underground for 5 miles, 6¾ furlongs via 14 tunnels), and crossed high over 2 major adqueducts (Chirk and Pontycyllte) twice in pursuit of our goal to replace the cratch cover as it’s called. Our circuitous route took in sections or complete lengths of 11 canals, and encompassed 425 miles 3 furlongs of narrow canals, 152 miles 1½ furlongs of broad canals, 233 narrow locks and 118 broad locks if you want the specifics!
This week, on Monday after a final week’s 69 mile, 69 lock journey from Whitchurch on the Llangollen we arrived at our destination. Forewarned, the next morning at 8.30am Harry arrived to template the boat’s cratch, and discuss the final details of what we wanted.
By that evening he had returned in the company of another Harry and a beautifully stitched, watertight cratch cover. It was fitted, adjusted, and installed. The speed took us somewhat aback to be honest – we had fully expected to be waiting for days – had even prewarned CRT that we would be expecting to outstay the 1 day mooring for work and wham – the long-awaited goal was achieved before we even caught breath! It was disconcerting somehow, and also helped me reflect on how rudderless we can feel when we achieve our goals when they are very specific.
SMART goals as we know from business and academia are designed to be just that – Specific, Measureable, Achieveable, Realistic and Timebased (i.e. they have a deadline). SMART goals support us to set targets and benefit from the realisation of them. If we are so focused on a single goal, that can leave us feeling lost when it is achieved. This can be the successful end of a project, or a career stage – striving for one thing and then wondering where to go or what to do when you reach it.
PhD candidates (myself included) talk of spending years working to achieve their doctorate and struggling with mixed emotions of elation and deflation when finally Dr So-and-so. What they’ve worked on intensely for so long can no longer be their sole focus. Athletes talk of spiralling into depression after training for a specific race, event, or medal. When it’s over their entire focus is gone, they feel lost and bereft. Authors say the same when they reach the end of a book, and face another blank page.
We have started this week by planning new goals, new destinations, new journeys to move towards to fill the gap we are experiencing, but it has also made me realise how important it is to keep multiple SMART goals ticking over at the same time. Yes, we need the recognised SMART objectives for specific purposes, and we need goal setting support from experts such as Dr Cheryl Travers, but perhaps it is time for some more sustainable SMART goals too.
I propose:
- Share/See;
- Make (a positive difference)/Marvel;
- Appreciate/Admire;
- Reflect/Relax
- Thank/Try/Treasure.
What will your SMART objectives be to run continuously through life to never be short of positive, meaningful goals?
Our long-term goal is to continue to share, appreciate, relish and be thankful for everything that living afloat brings.
In the short term we welcome a family Easter, and then a journey to the end of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire, onto the mighty River Severn, up the Worcester and Birmingham Canal to the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. It’s a little jaunt of 76 miles with 6 moveable bridges, 1 major aqueduct at Edstone, 6 tunnels totalling 2 miles 4¾ furlongs underground and – wait for it – 127 locks. This is because it takes in the Tardebigge Flight of Locks – described by Pearson’s Guide as a Boater’s Rite of Passage. This, the longest flight in the UK with 30 locks over 2¼miles, with no overnight mooring, must be done in a single ascent or descent, and looks like a millipede on the map!
That will be a day devoted to boating with no external work to intervene. We rather hope to meet lots of enthusiastic and energetic holiday boaters there! Anyone wanting a walk and some exercise when we get there – we have spare windlasses for temporary crew!
Pickingupducks 