(In)Voluntary Challenges

Not giving up takes you most of the way there. There are 2 main ways this applies. Voluntary challenges and involuntary challenges. Challenges that you prepare for through increasing your effort and intensity towards a thing. And challenges that inevitably come your way that you didn't see coming. 

First up there's voluntary challenges. There is a lot of content on social media about the optimisation of every tiny little thing. Getting your workouts to be 1% more efficient. Saving an extra few dollars a week. Doing the exact same warm up routine for every ride. Yes, all these things are great and are giving you little benefits. But do the benefits outweigh the extra stress they create from trying to uphold this high standard in every area of life? And does this extra stress eventually force a break?

I'm very much a believer in consistent routines. Maybe not getting those 1% gains in every single area of my life, but not giving up on the biggest leverage actions. And sometimes there are things that we put more effort towards, and maybe those top few things can be optimised, but it can't be everything.

"Try to be directionally correct instead of trying to be absolutely correct."

Now involuntary challenges. Now this one is a bit harder. Challenges that you don't see coming. You didn't get to brace for. Unfair? Maybe. Personally I find the most value in reframing these challenges, depending what they are. Will I come out the other side of this a better person? A lesson that finds me rather than me having to go find it. Is this where most people stop? An opportunity to take a situation that stopped many before you and an opportunity to set yourself apart. Will this make the win feel better? A contrasting situation to remember when things are going well.

I have found these very helpful but the trick is to remember these things when you actually get sent into a challenging situation. Not to numb the pain, but to give it purpose.

See ya next week...