Four Things I Have Learned From Running
IN SHORT: There are lessons to be learned from running that apply to life in general: Pace yourself; Shorten your stride; Swing your arms; Focus on ‘now’.
“You have a choice: you can throw in the towel,
or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face
and keep running.”[Unknown]
(~1100 words, approx 6-9 mins to read)
From Worrier to Warrior!
IN SHORT: Worriers dwell on future failure, whilst warriors get busy now to build future success.
“Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”
[Arthur Somers Roche, 19/20th-century US author]“Worry is like a rocking chair – it gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere.”
[Anon]“The warrior’s approach is to say ‘Yes’ to life.”
[Joseph Campbell, 20th-century US author, teacher & philosopher]
(1041 words, approx 6-9 mins to read.)
Anxiety is one of those things we all experience from time to time – it’s natural as it’s one of the methods our unconscious or intuitive self uses to get us to pay attention to the future. However, it’s supposed to be a very temporary condition that passes when we decide what to do and then take action.
'Look up!' and other useful tips!
IN SHORT: NEED is not enough, you have to WANT it. GOALs are not enough, you need some “If… Then…”. And Look UP!
“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.”
[Helen Keller, 19th/20th-century deaf-blind author & activist]
(1208 words, approx 7-12 mins to read)
December and January have, for me at least, felt very ‘stop-start’ in terms of effort and rest, rather than a more sedate ‘slow down, speed up’ progress, hence the later-than usual timing of this ‘slice’.
What I thought I’d share with you, instead of one central theme, are three related pointers: Read More »
Eric
IN SHORT: What is it that gets you up and out of bed, active and focused, every day? Duty? Work? Paying the bills? Guilt? Habit? … Or do you have a real PURPOSE to your life that can’t be diminished and instead seems more compelling as you live it out?
“I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply ALL my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.”
[Og Mandino, 20th-century American writer & psychologist]“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?”
[Satchel Paige, 20th-century American baseball player
& the 1st from the ‘Negro League’ to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame]
I want to introduce you to someone who’s been an inspiration to me at various points in my life. That’s not to say I agree with everything he does or says – quite the opposite at times – it’s more the way he goes about doing and saying those things, and basically his attitude to life that inspires me most. Read More »
Inspiration comes at odd times…!
I was out running on Saturday, feeling quite smug with myself at about the 6 mile point of a 9 mile route, when I spotted an old man up ahead. I’m assuming he was old – he appeared to be in his late 70s at a guess – and very frail as he was walking with one of those zimmer frames with wheels on, Read More »
"It's the Climb"
I ran the Edinburgh marathon today – toughest thing I think I’ve ever done so far actually. I didn’t beat my target time of 4 hours and, as I was driving back to Liverpool with aching legs and a sense of disappointment, a song on the radio caught my ear – “The Climb”. Yes, it’s teen-pop, sung by Miley Cyrus, but the words to the chorus struck a neat little chord:
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side,
It’s the climb.