Achieving Difficult Things
Fear, Pain & Engagement
Last time I asked you (indirectly 😉) to consider…
What are my opportunities to build something?
What is a simple way to improve my Functional Capacity?
We considered these questions with respect to financial wealth, time and human capital.
Today’s question:
What’s something I find VERY interesting?
Once again, I’ll share a story to help illustrate.
The Difficult Goal
When I got back into triathlon training, I had a goal of a sub-10 hour Ironman race. My goal implied a level of Functional Capacity that would enable me to do events that I’ve been eyeing for many years.
A high level of personal fitness is a ticket to a very exclusive world. We can’t buy our way in. We earn it.
If you don’t understand the intricacies of long distance triathlon then my time goal isn’t important. The key thing is it represents the ability to exercise all day. This ability broadens my physical world.
The initial goal was “get back in shape.”
A coaching friend told me (directly) that I was aiming too low.
Another coaching friend delivered a similar message, indirectly. He sent me a picture of a classic book called, The Magic of Thinking Big.
On this topic of difficult goals, there is a podcast interview with a couple of Swedish friends of mine, Nils and Johan. The guys are both champion athletes. A favorite part is when the guys were asked about a good result… and Nils defaulted to a simple question…
What’s the world record?
I spend a lot of time with people like Nils.
Engagement Requires Difficulty. It need not be physical difficulty.
Problems
At the beginning of my return-to-triathlon journey, I had all kinds of problems, mainly with my lower legs.
Yet another coaching friend, a multiple World Champion… shared his experience that there would be no “far side” of my problems.
He gave this advice with good humor. Nothing personal… just the way it is.
He explained => Problems are baked into my personal reality => I have more motivation than capacity.
This matches advice (for humanity) from David Deutsch’s The Beginning of Infinity1
Problems are inevitable.
Problems are soluble.
By “soluble,” Deutsch means ‘the right knowledge would solve them.’
If we fully embrace Deutsch’s insight, a highly-productive mindset results => problems are inevitable, solve them with knowledge.
Put another way…
I want enough problems so I can make progress,
But not so many I break down.
It helps if the over-arching problem is VERY interesting.
So we are adding interesting problems as a component of the difficult necessary for engagement.
Interesting Problems
Let’s return to the question I asked at the top of page.
What’s something I find VERY interesting?
Might there be a way to build something in this area of deep interest?
Let’s return to my initial problem.
Get In Shape
A worthwhile problem, but is it interesting?
Let me tell you the source of my desire to “get in shape.”
As a kid, I was out of shape, and not athletic… I have an enduring connection to the chubby kid I once was, he was miserable and thought getting in shape would make him happy.
But… I haven’t been out of shape since 1994.
So… I might be past the statute of limitations on my childhood fears.
Fear & Pain
The very real problems of my 12 year old self… have motivated a lot of action over the years. They have been a useful obsessions.
Perhaps I could find something better?
A little more… Grown up?
One of the most painful events of my life was a big external success - a race where I posted one of the fastest times ever done on the course... and finished 2nd.
By “painful” I don’t mean uncomfortable. It’s always uncomfortable to race fast. By painful, I mean a multiyear campaign that came up short.
It’s a common thing in elite athletics. I didn’t feel singled out but it sure did sting. I couldn’t talk about it for years.
In trying to beat other people, I noticed the fun went out of my sport. The “winning goal” wasn’t particularly satisfying. There are other races that I did win and the satisfaction of those victories melted away.
Perhaps I could re-frame and learn from that experience?
Excellence
Are you able to see where this might be heading…
Let’s combine everything:
The book
My time allocation
My friends, coaches and advisors
…into something that I find both scary and engaging.
Excellence.
More on that to come.
Regardless of your goals and field, you should read Deutsch’s book, slowly and carefully. It lays out a very effective method of thinking.
Great read!