Rat Race (Pro)
Posted: May 29, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, crossfit, exercise, family, fitness, free range, Freinds, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, kettlebell, kindness, life, love, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, paleo, passion, running, trail running, walking, whole foods, WOD, yoga 16 CommentsThe truth is that everyone is bored, and devotes himself to cultivating habits-
Feel free to file this post under the “Stopped over, liked and promptly forgot what I read ten minutes later” category.
You, me, the dude shaving in the car next to you during the morning commute, we are our own worst enemies. Especially so when we start talking about cultivating and living a “authentic” life, full of true and unbridled happiness. We make excuses, hourly, as to why we can’t overcome something or we are too busy surfing the webz, checking our work email during a Saturday morning group ride. To stop and realize just how destructive our growth-inhibiting patterns of behavior really are.
What follows is a series of blunt and prickly questions. I suppose we could call them the “Stinging Nettles” series of questions?!? I want these to irritate you, making you look inward to find a solution rather than applying aloe-vera gel to cover up the stinging pain …
Do you constantly put “things” off? We make excuses at every turn as to why we put off doing “things” that will markedly change our lives for the better. How many times will we hear or read this today: “I know meditation and yoga can help me BUT … I’m experiencing (Insert anything here) right now and I haven’t been doing them lately.” Seriously folks, If you know a life-enhancing practice like meditation and yoga will help you make a problem disappear? Why then put it off?
Are you a pecksniffian varietal of toad stool? Our minds tend to veer towards the negative side of life, completely normal. We look at all the “things” we don’t have and feel worse as a result. Dear Reader: There is always going to be something you will not have and embracing life in this way will leave you forever unsatisfied, a Toad Stool of high moral arrogance. Looking up and seeing the sun rise, taking a deep relaxing breath of morning air or even the very experience of rolling out of bed – Alive? Something not Nothing.
Do you fell like playing the “Blame Game”? “I could had run a personal best BUT … This amateur yoga mom b!tch was in my way!” Gosh does it feel good putting blame on someone other than ourselves?!? Blaming others is like having good sex: Awesome. How about we entertain the thought of taking responsibility for having some degree of responsibility for what happened and look to how we can turn the situation around, rather than blaming all the yoga mom runners of the world?!?
Saving the best for last …
Are you hopelessly a perfectionist? Perfectionists will be displeased no matter what, anything that isn’t perfect or doesn’t meet their extremely high standards? Weak sauce! Breaking News: Achieving a state of perfection within any walk of life is an impossible goal. Perfectionism turns us into pawns of success, by narrowing our focus on failure which then kindly results in a lifetime of self-doubt, pity and dare I mention? Depression. We might as well say then that perfectionism allows us to be more efficient at finding the best deals online, keeping an organized and tidy inbox or prepared for anything that may come walking through the door. However, having high standards and goals will help us achieve “things” in life, these standards can get in the way of the pure happiness of doing something we enjoy and yes, perfectionism can and will impair our enjoyment of this thing called life.
Notes:
Today marks a day of change here, a day of change in tone and added clarity. A day of asking questions instead of “Liking” and walking away.
CultFit 
May have to print this out when I get around to it. Some day 😉
Seriously. I have been putting off cleaning my office for months. You motivated me to do it. 🙂
Oh, and my coach used to say, “excuses are for losers.” I admit that I was a “loser” for a long time. I often wondered if I learned that behavior or if it was innate in my personality. I still fight it. I think it’s as much fear of failure due to high standards as anything else? Trying to live up to someone else’s standards?
Anyway, great post. 🙂
Have a most awesome day!!
I’m not a huge fan of using negative connotations to seek improvement from folks. Never had, never will be. Excuses are for everyone, we all make them. I like to point out the why’s … Why are we making the excuse in the first place, getting to the root of the issue. Sometimes they may be benign and silly, other times they take us to a dark place in our lives. No one is ever a “loser” for taking the time to dig deeper. Hence the whole purpose of my posts: taking the time out from our hyper paced lives to reflect, ask why, drink some wine, enjoy our friends and family. Is that too much to ask? 😉
Nope! It surely made me think. 🙂
Where’s the “like” button? This post really resonated with me today. I often leave projects to wallow and gather dust (a novel stopped in the middle) when I decide they won’t be perfect. I need to work on that! The novel, and the bad habit. 🙂
I hid the like button for today’s post. 🙂 A little less “liking” and a touch more self reflection for the time being around these parts.
Excellent! Nothing new under the sun but stating it like this might just sting me into a hive of activity – or even acceptance. Thanks!
I’m glad you liked this post! Unfortunately, many did not. 😉 Take care today and please be well.
Reblogged this on yogazazen and commented:
Great post from CultFit. Thanks! Still in training for Tough Mudder Colorado and very much looking forward to it!
I love the New Yorker! So — I just finished part of a project designed to help one better recognize some personal strengths and values as well as some self-imposed “barriers” – — with the goal of identifying some “next steps” to take … anyone want to try it? http://skroeze.com/about-you-making-connections-from-a-collage-of-reflections/
Totally checking this out, thank you and have a beautiful weekend. 🙂
[…] will come our way. Having read this little bit, I implore you to go back and re-read the post from Wednesday, in a new […]
Yikes! Are you peaking in my window!! ?? LOL yea I’m totally looking in the mirror at #1 there and going “that is you my friend” – Yoga is my thing I KNOW would be great back in my life. Procrastination is a huge flaw, and I’m working on the negative thoughts when I see others. A little less judging and a little more mirror looking. Glad I followed the instructions and came back to read this post.
HA! Nope, not peeking in your window at all, nor am I throwing verbal pebbles at your window either. 😉 Thank you for your patience with the posts around here, I’m trying to bring up and address some important “things” I firmly believe we are loosing grasp of in our lives. And like you so thoughtfully stated: “… A little less judging and a little more mirror looking.” As always you are more than welcome to stick around for the ride, take care and be well. 🙂
I look forward to more posts then!!
Another great post! Every time I drop in (which is not as often as I would like) you reinforce something I already knew. You validate my feelings on some level that I truly appreciate. I am trying to change my life (though I keep bumping up against familial roadblocks) and reading your blog daily (if possible) to keep myself going. You are inspirational and wise. Sort of like Mr. Miyagi in the first Karate Kid.
One of the things I am considering is changing careers, not sure how to go about it, I’ve been sort of stuck. I’ve been thinking about being a yoga instructor. I haven’t acted on this for several reasons: financial (I just cannot afford to attend these seminars of learning), discipline (I lack that), the results won’t be immediate; I have to work and study and take classes and learn and I know it will take time. I’ve thought about it for the past year and a half off and on and realized today that I could’ve been halfway through my studies if I had started then. Procrastination, perfectionism = depression as you said. I’ve been depressed most of my life and am almost too tired to fight sometimes. Though I know yoga will make me feel better, self recrimination likes to stop me. I wish that voice in my head would shut up, but maybe with some work, I can blot out the sound at least.
Thanks for another great post and little kick in the pants.
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