Why Quitting Is Underrated, Improving Conversations, Fighting Wild Animals, & More
Article Round-Up: 10.2.22
Enjoy this week’s curated list of articles, podcasts, and more from the web.
Featured Thoughts:
Takeaway: When you’re passionate about something, it creates this delicate balance—a dance of sorts—between giving your all and making sound, rational decisions. Sometimes these go hand-in-hand, but not always.
In this article, runners from the London Marathon push to finish the race, even whilst suffering broken bones and excruciating pain. (And for no personal benefit other than satisfying a sunk-cost bias.)
We saw something similar this week with the Miami Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered a serious head injury after stepping onto the field already injured. (Sure, there is obviously a financial component and outside pressure in this situation, but Tagovailoa still had to agree to step on the field.)
It reminds me of a head injury I sustained back in 2015. After being released from the hospital I headed straight to the gym to train my clients—mental fogginess and vertigo be damned.
There is something profoundly beautiful about giving all of yourself to accomplishing a goal. This is why we have a fascination with elite athletes, artists, and other performers. (Just turn on any episode of America’s Got Talent.)
It’s easier when someone else is putting everything on the line, but how can we reconcile our goals and our wellbeing when those are at odds?
I don’t have an answer.
I think, in part, it boils down to knowing what you value and in what order you prioritize your values. Will you truly be ok sacrificing these other important things in your life in pursuit of this one goal?
It’s also important to ask yourself, “What’s the worst-case scenario that I might experience, short of death, if I continue to push my limitations?Am I willing to pay that price?” If you’re vying to set a world-record marathon pace, then you might be willing to risk a little more than a hobbyist casually running marathons on the weekend.
Then again, as the guy who attempted to run a marathon without training for it, what would I know about making smart choices.
“How To Have Better Conversations (2/3)”
Takeaway: If you enjoyed the first article in this series on improving your conversation skills, then try your hand at this more advanced strategy.
The “Tell Me MORE” strategy allows you to level up your conversations by sharing a memory, opinion, or related story. This is a great strategy to keep a conversation flowing and gives you control to shift directions if you sense it going stale.
Takeaway: Ok, this isn’t an article, per se. Simply a quote that really resonated with me.
Bear with me. It’s a quote from one author, shared on the blog of a different author, from a book I’ve never read. How fun.
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days.” - Annie Dillard
Just For Fun:
“Armchair Experts Podcast w/ Dax Shepard & Monica Padman - Armchair Anonymous: Wild Animals” [Podcast]
Takeaway: I love the Armchair Experts Podcast, but I especially love their series, “Armchair Anonymous.” Each week the hosts have listeners respond to a prompt, an the pick the best stories to be shared on the podcast. I find them so entertaining.
This episode is about encounters with wild animals. When I say encounters, I really mean times people had to fight off wild animals.
It reminds me of a time I was running in the wee hours of the morning, and caught a pair of eyes staring back at me from behind a McDonald’s dumpster. What happened next was some of the most terrifying 60-seconds of my life.
Let me know if you want me to share the story, and I’ll pop an audio recording in next Sunday’s round-up telling you what went down with my run-in with a coyote.
Would definitely love to read about your coyote encounter. Have a great week.