Thoughts on the Run

Some would say that I’m a control freak and others would view me as living without stress. It’s that part of a job interview where the person sees I have a degrees in design, programming, and an MBA. The question gets asked “are you a designer, a programmer, or exec?”

All the above.

Then that is followed with, “do you like working independently or as part of a team?”

Both.

It’s not a cope out or a way to be matched to the position, but more of a representation of my split personality. There have been times when I wondered if it was something I need to talk to a doctor about. Some days I’m designing a site based on the best way a user would interact with it and the next I’m writing a large document on how a company should expand their business. That doesn’t seem normal.

The more people I meet though (and the more I run) the more I realize that it’s people trying to classify life. For many, if we are able to put each person, job, situation, or activity into their own pile, it’s easier to handle. Our brains don’t have to think as much and all is nicely organized. What if there was a different way?

Instead of always acting like we’re deep into a game of dodgeball, ready to take the next person, situation, or thing and throw it into a pile, what if we just let it go? Let the ball come at us and see what happens. Sometimes we tense up because we think we know how we should handle it. Just maybe, we really don’t. Perhaps those preconceived notions are what’s keeping the painful and challenging cycle going.

Last week I put in 20 miles of running. This week I’ve racked up zero. Each day when I said I was ready to run or get up early, the energy wasn’t there. The motivation was, but it was as though I was fighting the universe to move forward. There are times that I have felt this before. When running into a wall or constant obstacle, sometimes the way forward is to step aside. Let that strong gust of wind blow by while I catch my breath. Then I will have more energy and be able to accomplish what I want with more force.

While I have only so much control over my schedule and how people within my universe react, I need to be able to let things go. Stress is just as much a hard workout as running 20 miles. The difference is that running is much healthier for the body.

Instead of fighting the universe, learn to move through it.