long run #13 of 18 (and "matrix moments")
Two fellow runner friends advised me not to push it this week, so I listened to them and ran 7 miles today (the plan I'm using had me running 20). My legs (especially my knees) are still really stiff... I need to stretch more before ramping up on the miles again.
It's hard to not to draw parallels between life and running after awhile. Today, I was thinking about how stressed and anxious I can feel when considering the long runs in terms of their total mileage. There's a crushing mental weight that goes along with those big numbers. When I'm out there doing the runs, if I make a concerted effort to focus on just the very next few steps, it makes the run go a lot better. I can never be reminded of this fact enough.
Coming across views of serenity like this along the way also have a cleansing effect on my mind...
The relationship between time and anxiety is so linear. When something stressful approaches, if you can make yourself focus your relationship with time to the immediate short term (after having a long term plan in place), it helps tremendously. It's the dwelling compounded over time that's the killer.
I've also been thinking a lot lately about those times when the light bulb is turned on in your head after "getting" a new concept. Once enough of these light bulbs on a particular domain are accumulated, at some point, you hit a "matrix moment," where your perspective is forever changed. You can see the matrix, the underlying system and root causes behind whatever it is that's been confusing or troublesome. I've had a few of these recently and they are among the most pleasurable experiences I think a human being can ever have.
Something interesting happens once you hit that matrix moment. The domain that was once perceived as difficult or confusing (high mental entropy) suddenly seems manageable and even mundane (low mental entropy). Perhaps a visual can describe it better than words...
Learning GTD for me is an example of one of these moments. As I was reading the book, light bulbs were going off, but then once I internalized the learning, my perception of "stuff" entering my life was forever changed. An internal paradigm shift occurred and new understanding was gained. What have been some of your favorite matrix moments?
Totally unrelated (but too good not to share)...
I've never had my nails done, but I've been to enough Vietnamese restaurants to find this exchange completely hilarious...
"honey, why you don't have!!?"
It's hard to not to draw parallels between life and running after awhile. Today, I was thinking about how stressed and anxious I can feel when considering the long runs in terms of their total mileage. There's a crushing mental weight that goes along with those big numbers. When I'm out there doing the runs, if I make a concerted effort to focus on just the very next few steps, it makes the run go a lot better. I can never be reminded of this fact enough.
Coming across views of serenity like this along the way also have a cleansing effect on my mind...
The relationship between time and anxiety is so linear. When something stressful approaches, if you can make yourself focus your relationship with time to the immediate short term (after having a long term plan in place), it helps tremendously. It's the dwelling compounded over time that's the killer.
I've also been thinking a lot lately about those times when the light bulb is turned on in your head after "getting" a new concept. Once enough of these light bulbs on a particular domain are accumulated, at some point, you hit a "matrix moment," where your perspective is forever changed. You can see the matrix, the underlying system and root causes behind whatever it is that's been confusing or troublesome. I've had a few of these recently and they are among the most pleasurable experiences I think a human being can ever have.
Something interesting happens once you hit that matrix moment. The domain that was once perceived as difficult or confusing (high mental entropy) suddenly seems manageable and even mundane (low mental entropy). Perhaps a visual can describe it better than words...
Learning GTD for me is an example of one of these moments. As I was reading the book, light bulbs were going off, but then once I internalized the learning, my perception of "stuff" entering my life was forever changed. An internal paradigm shift occurred and new understanding was gained. What have been some of your favorite matrix moments?
Totally unrelated (but too good not to share)...
I've never had my nails done, but I've been to enough Vietnamese restaurants to find this exchange completely hilarious...
"honey, why you don't have!!?"