Like or dislike challenges

[cookie2]

Does anyone else not like challenges? Within a few days of setting one, I just want it over and done. They hang over me and i am constantly trying to work out how/when I can work towards the goal. When I achieve or complete the challenge, I have more of a sense of relief than achievement. I am just wandering if anyone else feels like this.
Thanks

 

[Once a Wheeler]

Challenge like change has to come from within — it has to mean something. This very well-known and highly regarded book came my way recently and I find it strange that I could possibly have missed out on it before. It has much to say about challenge and is a great, and not very long, read. Highly recommended for all who want to know why challenge needs to be meaningful:

 

[Drago]

It depends on the challenge.

Frivolous ones I ignore.

Serious, worthy challenges gain my undivided attention and I dig my heels in and never back down. If I'm honest that trait may be a trace of psychopathy on my part, but held in check and unleashed only when required it can be quite a useful mindset.

 

[cookie2]

Challenge like change has to come from within — it has to mean something. This very well-known and highly regarded book came my way recently and I find it strange that I could possibly have missed out on it before. It has much to say about challenge and is a great, and not very long, read. Highly recommended for all who want to know why challenge needs to be meaningful:

View attachment 705429

Thank you. I was just looking at deleting the thread when your reply came through.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Cycling-wise I like them.

I just enjoy riding my bike but I like challenges to give me a bit of structure. Where should I go? How far? What terrain? Fear not, I have challenges to help me decide.

Even if they are a bit strange like @ColinJ 's climbing loops a couple of years ago, where half the challenge was designing the route, and half was riding it.

 

[Moon bunny]

Challenge? Playing at hardship, making hard work of it, damn difficult but bloody ludicrous …
My only challenge is to finish the day happy and contented, having thoroughly enjoyed myself.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

If you mean a cycling challenge it can help you remain motivated to not let your fitness slip. The challenge itself and whether you succeed or not is not important in the end. Though it will likely motivate you to give yourself the best chance of succeeding. But the whole year should not be one of back to back challenges be selective in what you take on. The challenge itself must be inspiring and something you are looking forward to attempting.

 

[wafter]

Challenge? Playing at hardship, making hard work of it, damn difficult but bloody ludicrous …
My only challenge is to finish the day happy and contented, having thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Absolutely this.

I can see the legitimacy of abitrary challenges for the advancement of fitness / charitable benfit of others, however I find life challenging enough without adding additional, entirely-constructed hurdles.

As such I find much greater reward in challenges that yield more immediately tangible, real-world benefits such as the classics "return from the commute having avoided the bloody, firey death of yourself or others" or "recover the weekly shopping without wantonly sh*tting into the open mouth of the planet to appease your own lazyness and consumptive social conditioning".

That said I did have a favourite hill I'd smash it up in an effort to beat my own PB / induce a fatal heart attack; either of which would have been a welcome outcome.

HTH

 

[All uphill]

It depends on the challenge.

Frivolous ones I ignore.

Serious, worthy challenges gain my undivided attention and I dig my heels in and never back down. If I'm honest that trait may be a trace of psychopathy on my part, but held in check and unleashed only when required it can be quite a useful mindset.

I understand that @Drago

I must be made differently; I only enjoy frivolous challenges, I've wasted too much of my life doing things someone else thinks are important and love the gentle aimlessness of retirement.

I'm nearly three years into the ABC of Saints and like that it's there when I have no other 'purpose' for a day out on the bike, but can be left for a season when life presents its own challenges.

It's good that we are all different!

 

[Dogtrousers]

Challenge? Playing at hardship, making hard work of it, damn difficult but bloody ludicrous …

Not all challenges are like that. Take the ABC villages and towns or the 52 cafés in a year challenge, or the various photo challenges.

Although if you take them particularly seriously they can get that way... How far to get a Z??

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Not all challenges are like that. Take the ABC villages and towns or the 52 cafés in a year challenge, or the various photo challenges.

Although if you take them particularly seriously they can get that way... How far to get a Z??

I did 200km ride to get V. Z was much closer

 

[Sallar55]

A challenge could be a different run each day/week. As above photo thread gets me out. Veloviewer is another way to keep one occupied as each tile only counts once. Used to be Audaxs and a change of scenery each cycling holiday with the odd European sportive. As for the town challenge Z is easy, its going through the Alphabet thats harder if you do it in sequence.

 

[DCLane]

I rarely do 'challenges', but this one's been a bit interesting: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/52-cafes-in-2023.289654/

 

[Dogtrousers]

Then there are things like LEJOG. That's a "challenge" and a lot of people get satisfaction from doing it. You could of course just go for a nice tour and avoid the routing constraints of LEJOG. It's not on my bucket list personally, but I can see the attraction.

 

[HLaB]

I think I'll give this challenge a miss: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-66753429