June 5, 2014
Your teachers lied to you
“Walk! Don’t run!” Mrs Applegate yelled at you in the long hallways that surely seemed built for the opposite. At my house, our “Inside Rules” posted the sentiment as well. Oh sure, it was all well and good to go outside and run around -encouraged even- but not inside. Running was for a particular segment of life, not all of it. Excitement was for one part of life, with ridge structure on the other half.
As we got older though, we spent more time indoors, perhaps literally as well as figuratively, and we started to forget. We forgot the excitement, and we became lost in rigidity. Of course firm principles have their place, and in that place immense power to foster success. However, rigidity also slows, and we began to think that that was the pace in which our whole lives should be lived.
Two months ago my laptop finality met its demise. Hobbled and limping on a bum fan, it was barely able to function on its own. Hooked up to a life support of external fans and ice packs, it still succumbed to fever, going unconscious again within minutes of waking. When it was arousable, it did not even remembered who it was anymore, complaining that it could not find its own desktop. It was difficult to see it like that. It was a sad time for both of us.
So I bought a new one. Touch screen? What!?
Two months. One to research and buy a new computer. One to wait for it to be made and shipped. Two months, and in that time I ran. Not literally, although there was some of that. I ran. I put my laptop down and picked up some new excitement for my life.
Exercise for your mind and spirit
The first thing I did was to attempt a mental exercise involving a 21 day streak of zero complaining, prompted by an article by Tim Ferris. Run. The idea was simple. Use a bracelet to remind yourself of your goal and change wrists whenever you complain. In my case, a wonderful little girl made my bracelet, and it was helpful having the reminder to take life a little lighter made by one so carefree. It seems different people alter the experiment to suit their needs. Tim explains how he deviated from the originator, Will Bowen’s criteria, and defined a complaint as “describing an event or person negatively without indicating next steps to fix the problem.” Although I very much understand his drive to change unproductive thinking into productive behavior, I wanted to focus on stifling negative, ungrateful thinking. Complaining was “describing an event or person negatively.” It ended there and I decided, to my demise, that this should include self-talk. Simple. Run. I did not make it a day. I must have switched wrists 20 times that day! In fact I never made it. I had a few good streaks of several days, and perhaps if I had not counted my negative, complaining thoughts, and mumblings, I may have, in fact, made it much longer. However, it was an awakening to just how much I complained, if only to myself, throughout the day. It seemed unhealthy, and an unhappy way to live. Although a clean 21 day streak seemed impossible, and after some weeks I stopped wearing the bracelet every day, I did not stop my conscience attempts to complain less. As it turns out less complaining leaves more time for more excitement. Run.
- I joined a gym for time first time in years, and started lifting. Run.
- I downloaded zombies from the cloud to chase me as I ran the streets of my neighborhood. RUUUUUN!
- I stood up for the wedding of one of my best friends. Run.
- I put the convertible hardtop down and just drove. Run.
- I took a couple weekend trips out-of-town. Run.
- I help wood smoke a 10 lb beef brisket. Sit and relax all day.
- I shook my head through a shameful baseball game with my father. Run.
- I wrote. Run.
- I read. Run.
Sometime it is not about what you run toward, it is that you run. In truth it is not even that you run, but that you pursue what adds excitement to you life, and energy to your being. Your teachers, at times may have had to set that to the side for your own good, and perhaps at times because they had a job to do, an important one at that. Now you have a job to do, with the stress, structure, and responsibilities that come with it. However, it is not your teachers any longer telling you to “walk, don’t run,” it is you. Think about taking life a little lighter – at work, at home, at leisure. Whether it is behavior experiments or exercise routines, relaxing with old friends or meeting new ones, learning a new hobby or enjoying one you know very well, run toward the things that excite you.
Run, don’t walk!
Venture to Dream.
-Michael Speck
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