[at-l] Developing mental toughness for LD hiking

[sloetoe at yahoo.com (Sloetoe)]

--- Jim Bullard <jbullar1@twcny.rr.com> wrote:  ... 
> In my opinion, and I'm going to sound like Dr. Phil here, it
> all comes down to 'are you getting payback' for what you are
> doing? ...    The bottom line is, if you don't 
> feel you are getting 'payback' that you value more than you
> might by quitting... you'll quit. It doesn't matter if what
> you're thinking of quitting is a thru-hike, an education, a
> job, a marriage, or whatever.
### I'd have to agree that certainly is a sound economic answer.
And at first blush it answers the question:
         "when costs of committment exceed benefits, quit."

### But that doesn't touch the particular avoided cost of the
quitting itself: personal or social dissappointment or shame. If
you are shameless, quitting will come easy (in throughhikes,
educations, jobs, marrieages, whatevers); if the quitting has
it's own cost, and if that cost is high enough (or, if your
"sense of *committment*" is high enough), then you'll never
quit. Period.

### (I'll note again here that on my throughhike, I *did* in
fact quit the trail. Many times, in fact, but most especially as
I was walking into Waynesboro. I just happened to keep walking
north. I sought to postpone the shame of returning to CT and my
friends as a failure. [Lucky I had the trail.] By the time I hit
Duncannon/Delaware Water Gap, I was glued on completing the
Trail, and having the time of my life. But make no mistake:
"shame" saved my throughhike. That and a thieving,
yellow-blazing cretin from New Jersey named Harold Thomas
Prenzel, III.)

> If you get out there and find you like it as much 
> as the dream that was in your head, you'll get there, where
> ever "there" is for you. If it isn't like what you expected,
if
> it isn't giving you the 'payback' you need for sticking out
the
> tough parts, you will find a reason to quit.
### Or, you'll suck it up, tough it out, and *not* quit. Simple.

notbigonquittingtoe

Spatior! Nitor! Nitor! Tempero!
   Pro Pondera Et Meliora.