I suppose I could be more charitable but I feel like title doesn't really match with the message of the blog. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this feel-good story about persistence and micro-improvements. Most of us mortals aren't talented at everything and diligent practice is required for most of us to get better.
The author sets the stage: uncoordinated and unathletic. Then they introduced their challenge: kayaking (or similar) which for them was a hard thing. Then they described the process: practice and improvement over a long period of time. And they closed with a personal success and take-away: it's worth the effort because of the experience regardless of the scale of the outcome.
It must be my body type or something but I've often heard people talk about tipping over in kayaks and whenever I am in one it feels actually impossible to me. Is it really that easy to tip over? I don't feel I need to "balance" at all.
There are things we can do that are externally valuable, and often that work is hard, but not necessarily so.
There is also stuff that is hard, but really has no value to anyone else in the world. I've found I do get enjoyment just in doing things that are hard, and often serve no purpose. For example, I learned how to solve the Rubik's Cube one day. Another time I learned to juggle. I learned to play the piano (OK, not really, I learned enough to learn like five pretty easy songs).
There is something that makes it more enjoyable to do something hard (for me) where if I accomplish it or not has no bearing on the world (even amongst my small circle -- except now they have to watch me solve the Cube in five minutes).
There is one challenge I will take on next -- to start a paragraph without the word "There".
I'm 38 years old and other than a couple years of moderate weightlifting with friends in my early 20s, I have never regularly exercised.
This year, I was able to change that. Funny enough, I read "Shoe Dog" for the business story, but finished the book with an interest in running. I think it was just the enthusiasm and lifestyle of running that was pervasive throughout the book. However, I've attempted to get into running before, and it only lasted a couple weeks.
This time, I tried again, but as an old-ass man, my motivations have changed. I just want consistency. I don't have a vision of winning any races, doing 20-mile trail runs, or other big ambitions. I just want to not die of a heart attack when I'm 45. I want to be in generally decent shape.
Laugh if you want, but as a complete novice, ChatGPT set me up with some cushy running shoes (Brooks Glycerins) and a basic goal: run for 30 minutes and try to keep my heart rate between 130 and 160bpm. This is more of maintaining a metric rather than trying to hit a lofty goal. From day one, you can achieve this success metric. It means your getting some moderate cardio. I bought a chest-strap heart rate monitor and linked it to a free app (Heart Graph) on my phone.
I'm now 8 weeks in, and I'm dedicated to the habit more than any goal. I feel a lot better, and by avoiding over-exertion and frustration from too lofty of a goal, I'm able to stay consistent without feeling miserable. I'm able to enjoy the "runner's high" without the cramps and misery that I endured in past attempts.
Please don't consider 38 years of age "old." I just turned 48 and thanks to boxing 6x a week for a year I lost about 50 pounds. I now clock in at 6'1", 168 pounds and love to go shirtless at the local public pool. I look and feel the best I ever did in my entire life.
I am planning to resume Judo, i only learnt it as a kid and now planning to start again. I never kind of was the best but it helped me build some life skills around focus, being in tough scenarios. So yes the point of doing hard things is not about winning only
Talking about kayaking, I as a beginner (but would love to do some serious sea kayaking if allowed) would love to hear some advices:
I sometimes hope there are kayaks with deeper hulls so my legs can rest more easily. They can numb easily after just 5 mins of padding and I gave it up a long time ago after a few trials. I know there are sit-on kayaks but I think they are mostly for fishing.
I completely agree, so many people miss out on great experiences simply because they’re afraid of looking dumb.
One big advantage many athletes had growing up was a parent who taught them a skill [basketball, soccer, biking] early, someone they felt safe failing in front of.
That’s one of the things I find so cool about learning with AI, you get to try, mess up, and improve without judgment.
Being the expert at works means that I can't fail. I'm the one everybody is relying on. The pressure is huge.
Being able to try new stuff that I know nothing about is a great way to release that pressure!
I sometimes take the opportunity of being with knowledgeable/experienced people to completely turn off my brain and just do what they say.
The extreme version of that: "Embrace the Suck".[1] By a Navy SEAL with a masochistic streak. SEALs are selected for people who will keep going while suffering, but this guy is into the suffering as an end in itself.
The industrial version: "In Praise of Hard Industries".[2]
I did a plastering course last winter and spring, and it reminded me about how, when you're young and in high school or college, you are continually confronted with not knowing things and not being able to do things that you would very much love to be able to do, and sometimes having to spend weeks or months without feeling much advancement before you suddenly "get it"... which is a kind of patience and stubbornness you rarely need once gainfully employed. It took months before I finished a wall that looked half decent, but then another month went by and suddenly everything had a mirror smooth finish. Your hands and arms and eyes notice things they didn't notice before. It reminded me that if you are willing to put in the hours, humans can do pretty amazing shit, and that you should never stop learning.
There are worse ways to start your day than sitting on still water in a boat that doesn’t want you there, trying to move forward anyway. Turns out that’s a decent metaphor for most things.
I do not know whether the author reads this, but I need to applaud the writing. Either the author is extremely talented and wrote this in one quick sitting or else there has been a lot of revisions to get it this short and concise. I aspire to be able to write like this - so really good job author!
At 40 I'm trying BJJ again. Visited 2 gyms and going to visit the third on monday. But for me is half fitness and half socializing (or maybe I'd say "what humans are like these days outside of internet").
I don't who to attribute this to, but a fond saying I've heard is "I know I'll never be a world champion, so I might as well play for the love of the sport."
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[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 46.3 ms ] threadI felt this when I had to ride a bike to a job 3 hrs a day. It was nice biking through some street covered in trees being in the moment.
I also went through a lot of audio books
The author sets the stage: uncoordinated and unathletic. Then they introduced their challenge: kayaking (or similar) which for them was a hard thing. Then they described the process: practice and improvement over a long period of time. And they closed with a personal success and take-away: it's worth the effort because of the experience regardless of the scale of the outcome.
Nice.
There is also stuff that is hard, but really has no value to anyone else in the world. I've found I do get enjoyment just in doing things that are hard, and often serve no purpose. For example, I learned how to solve the Rubik's Cube one day. Another time I learned to juggle. I learned to play the piano (OK, not really, I learned enough to learn like five pretty easy songs).
There is something that makes it more enjoyable to do something hard (for me) where if I accomplish it or not has no bearing on the world (even amongst my small circle -- except now they have to watch me solve the Cube in five minutes).
There is one challenge I will take on next -- to start a paragraph without the word "There".
This year, I was able to change that. Funny enough, I read "Shoe Dog" for the business story, but finished the book with an interest in running. I think it was just the enthusiasm and lifestyle of running that was pervasive throughout the book. However, I've attempted to get into running before, and it only lasted a couple weeks.
This time, I tried again, but as an old-ass man, my motivations have changed. I just want consistency. I don't have a vision of winning any races, doing 20-mile trail runs, or other big ambitions. I just want to not die of a heart attack when I'm 45. I want to be in generally decent shape.
Laugh if you want, but as a complete novice, ChatGPT set me up with some cushy running shoes (Brooks Glycerins) and a basic goal: run for 30 minutes and try to keep my heart rate between 130 and 160bpm. This is more of maintaining a metric rather than trying to hit a lofty goal. From day one, you can achieve this success metric. It means your getting some moderate cardio. I bought a chest-strap heart rate monitor and linked it to a free app (Heart Graph) on my phone.
I'm now 8 weeks in, and I'm dedicated to the habit more than any goal. I feel a lot better, and by avoiding over-exertion and frustration from too lofty of a goal, I'm able to stay consistent without feeling miserable. I'm able to enjoy the "runner's high" without the cramps and misery that I endured in past attempts.
I sometimes hope there are kayaks with deeper hulls so my legs can rest more easily. They can numb easily after just 5 mins of padding and I gave it up a long time ago after a few trials. I know there are sit-on kayaks but I think they are mostly for fishing.
The last line hit hard. Need to remind myself of this sometimes
One big advantage many athletes had growing up was a parent who taught them a skill [basketball, soccer, biking] early, someone they felt safe failing in front of.
That’s one of the things I find so cool about learning with AI, you get to try, mess up, and improve without judgment.
I'm on the opposite side of this.
Being the expert at works means that I can't fail. I'm the one everybody is relying on. The pressure is huge.
Being able to try new stuff that I know nothing about is a great way to release that pressure! I sometimes take the opportunity of being with knowledgeable/experienced people to completely turn off my brain and just do what they say.
The industrial version: "In Praise of Hard Industries".[2]
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Embrace-Suck-Navy-SEAL-Extraordinary/...
[2] https://www.amazon.com/Praise-Hard-Industries-Manufacturing-...
Hits home
I'm currently afraid of injuries, though.