Hey hey!
Hope you are having a pleasant Sunday so far. Here are the 3 things I have for today.
Don’t think, feeeel. Or how I learned to stop over-thinking.
3 quotes for this week.
On doing things a second time around and why they don’t work as well.
I am going to stick to a bullet point version of these posts. If you like to read, do read the longer form. Or of course, just listen.
As always, I’d love it if you can share ONE post with ONE friend.
Don’t think, feeeeel!
I have a tendency to over-think things. Especially things that I do not understand.
I’ve always thought that breaking them down, understanding them innately is the only way to deal with them.
In my CrossFit classes, I’d quiz my coach as soon as he finished explaining what we were going to do. After days of patiently answering me, he told me something that I really needed to hear - to stop thinking.
Without a clear idea about where our bodies are in space (proprioception), without a minimum amount of work on form and technique, we are mostly clueless when it comes to things. This does not apply only to lifting weights but many other things - playing a sport, learning a language, or dancing.
Repetitions will only help, once you have the basics going. And you cannot think through this as a beginner. Instead, try and just get out of the way.
Non-judgmental observation is key.
Instead, what I tended to do when I was not following that principle was criticising myself way too much. Because I had a clear idea of what right was and I would constantly harass myself chasing that ideal repetition. Instead of focusing on what I was doing, what I was getting right, what was improving and so on.
I learned to listen to my body better. Not just in any individual workout but overall. Eat when I am hungry, for example, as opposed to eating when the clock says it is time to eat.
As Bruce Lee says
Don’t think. Feeeeeeel.
3 quotes that I needed to read this week
Do the kinds of things that come from the heart. When you do, you won't be dissatisfied, you won't be envious, you won't be longing for somebody else's things. On the contrary, you'll be overwhelmed by what comes back.
– Morrie Schwartz
This comes from a wonderful book called “Tuesdays with Morrie”. And along with the other quote that I have from Derek Sivers, it is a reflection of my state of mind. As we navigate this crazy period and as my company goes through its own struggle and growth, I am constantly trying to figure out what it is I should be doing (did I tell you I was an over-thinker?). Should I do this or that? Should The Quad?
The real point of doing anything is to be happy, so do only what makes you happy.
– Derek Sivers
And reading these two quotes which I know to be innately true, that’s a good start. Now, I just need to figure out what that means for me.
Whatever you’re doing, a sense of superiority will make you worse at it. Humility, on the other hand, will make you better. The moment you think you’ve got it all figured out, your progress stops. Instead, continue to advance and improve by reminding yourself how much more there will always be to discover.
– Ralph Marston
Carrying the past is a pain. As a young, cocky, arrogant ass, I did not want to be that way. And along the way, I realise that instead of being confident, I sometimes second guess myself too much. And telling myself humility is the way forward instead of actually feeling it.
Where is this line in the sand? Between confidence and arrogance.
But one thing is, the more I learn, the more I do realise I know so little. So, not getting cocky has become easy.
on doing something the second time around
Why does it not go as well? Shouldn’t it be a repeat? Shouldn’t it be easier? Does our body adapt and give us diminishing returns? Or is it something else?
Here’s what I’ve seen in myself and my interactions with my students.
You know too much. The first time around, you stuck to the rules. You did everything by the book. You did things as well as you could. You didn't try to find any loopholes.
You think you are doing it the same way. But you are not. You've made your own adaptations to the system, as you feel you know it well enough. Which you do.
You know how hard it is. And that feels a bit restrictive going in. The first time around, you knew it was hard but you had no idea how hard it was gonna be. And once you were caught up in it, you just kept going. This time around, you let it keep going on and on in your head. Sometimes you just snap and give in. And make small palatable changes.
You start tweaking it. This is an extension of knowing too much. You start making your own customisations.
Things just sneak in. Either because of our prior knowledge or because we are not as strict as we are first time around, small things sneak in. For example, in the Daily9 system, from "no sugar", I move on to "a square of dark chocolate every night" to "once a week I will have 2 scoops of ice-cream".
You are bored. You want a change. You know it works. But how can we do the same thing again?
Where does "eat your favourite foods" stop?
Where does one draw the line in the sand?
The issue is there's no right or wrong here. Being extremely restrictive is not a good way to go forward. Because the second you are not allowed something, it becomes larger than it is. At the same time, finding balance is the trickiest thing out there. If we could navigate it, then we would not be here in the first place, right?
And here’s how I think we can go about it to make things even better the second time around.
Follow the plan. Don't meddle with it. Just do it.
If you want to tweak the plan, do so. Make it part of the "new" plan. Try it out for 2 weeks. Don't mess with it daily. Take stock in 2 weeks. Happy with progress - continue. No - go to step #1. But I’d rather you just stick to rule #1
Behave like a beginner. If you had to write a detailed food journal and you don't do it because "I ate about the same daily", shut up. Maintain that journal.
Don't skip steps. An extension of the previous point. Just don't do it.
Stay patient. Give it time. See it through until the end.
This time will be different. It is how it is.
Start with a clean slate. No baggage.
Build on the lessons you learned. For example, I don't stock any of my favourite foods when I am on the Daily9. Why? I know I need to create a bit more of a barrier between me and them.
Let me know what you think - did you have it easy the second time around? Or harder?
As always, thanks for spending a few minutes of your day reading/listening to this. I hope you found it useful. Until next week!
