Crossing the finish line

It’s a rare and wonderful thing when you can actually accomplish a goal.

This weekend I accomplished one of mine — running a 5k. I know that may not seem like a huge deal, but it meant months of training and determination for me to be able to run the entire thing.

This race meant so much to me because I went into heart failure after my daughter was born 19 months ago. My doctors have encouraged me not to have more children and it has taken me a long time to build back my heart function.

But as I ran the 5k this weekend, I felt a renewed sense of faith in myself and hope that setting goals really works. Of course, crossing the finish line (in my record time!) also meant getting up before dawn to train with my friend and running buddy each morning.

But it was worth it, and I may have even increased my chances of having more children.

So this week I encourage all of you to set a goal that you have been putting off. To get started, share your goal with us here and tell us why it matters to you — and remember, a goal is just a dream until you put it in writing and decide how you’ll achieve it.