I think I've done pretty good so far to only miss one day. And that was because a bottle of bubbly made writing a coherent blog post near impossible and I was a bit concerned about what might be written in that state. Anyway, I'm back on board today with a double post - 2 for the price of 1!
Two mantras for today's post: Life is an adventure story. And Be awesome!
Today I was reading an article in the January issue of Runner's World Australia/New Zealand edition - The writer runner by Michael Heald. The article is sort of an interview/story of the writer meeting author/runner Jamie Quatro who wrote I want to show you more.
Jamie makes an observation about a similarity between writers/authors and runners. She says, "When people say the short story is practice for the novel, or that you're not a 'great' writer unless you've written a novel, I always think: That's like saying the half-marathon is practice for the marathon, or that the half is easier to run than the full, or that you're not a 'great' runner unless you've done a marathon. Each distance - each literary form - is its own thing, with its own challenges and heartbreaks."
That is something that I must keep in my head. I struggle to believe that I'm a real 'runner' unless I've done a marathon - hence I'm doing a marathon this year. But really, it is exactly as Jamie says, each distance is its own thing! Just as each runner is their own competitor - not the other runners. As a runner you compete with yourself and you should not compare with other runners, just yourself.
The same can be said in your career or really anything in life. Stop comparing yourself to others and only compete with yourself. Concentrate on making yourself a better person, but bettering yourself - not comparing yourself to others - be awesome!!
The other thing Jamie says is: "The space between the run and going back inside. The space between the heart pounding, sweaty thoughts flowing middle of the run and the chaos waiting inside the house, the kids. But the middle space between these - the pause after the run, before the run inside - I drink this like water."
I can relate. Perhaps not in the same way but it is the moment when you have pushed yourself and finished your run - the journey may not have been pleasant but the end is totally worth it. You feel stuffed but exhilarated - possibly not all the time because not every run is a good run. But you always feel better for doing it.
I really haven't discussed the mantra's much in this post but they are there for you, the reader, to think about.
Also, think about what Jamie say's and how it relates to you - even if you aren't a runner. I'm sure there are other hobbies/sports/things you participate in that you may get that middle feeling - between when you finish and when you move on to the next part. Think about how much you value that!
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