Going the Distance

This past weekend, my husband and I had the pleasure of hosting guests from London who came to town to participate in the annual San Francisco Marathon.  As a former three-miler (make that two) and a current hill-climber (the urban kind), I fell naturally into a state of awe and admiration. Twenty-six-plus mile-markers to be overtaken by foot in the terrain of the cable-car seems extreme, if not unachievable.  How does one even begin?

Sometimes the quest for sustainability feels like that.   According to leaders of the world’s largest businesses, the roadmap to a sustainable future includes forty-plus non-skippable mile-markers. Reaching the mileage requirements for the current decade alone will require us to collectively pass a wide variety of milestones:

• new measures of success
• long-term financing models
• busiess models that integrate all actors
• costs of renewables lowered
• value chain innovation
• closed loop design
• integrated urban management, water efficiencies, more agricultural R&D
• and more

Tired yet?

Whatever your field of play, seasoned players know that success begins by choosing a direction and taking a step at a time.  Capacity and endurance is built consistently and increasingly, always working to a conscious plan.  This year's seminars-for-marathoners (pp 11-13) offered this further inspired advice that sounds right-on to me:

• Set high expectations:  “If you put your mind to it, you will surprise yourself by what you can accomplish” (It’s All in Your Head)
• For best results, attend to what goes into and out of the whole system (Nutrition for the Endurance Athlete and TrainingWell™)
• A centered frame of mind is key (Running with the Mind of Meditation)
• What begins as a stretch goal can quickly become a way of life (63 Marathons in 63 Days)
• Having succeeded over time, you will want to playfully step up your game (Charity Chasers)

Yes, like a marathon, sustainability is a long-term achievement -- one which can at once protect and transform our lives.  So let’s get our support systems in place and get ready to go the distance. 

Which sustainability mile-markers will you be helping us cruise past in victory?