Scree

noun : an accumulation of loose stones or rocky debris lying on a slope or at the base of a hill or cliff.

You have to purposefully plan →

Published April 24, 2017  ·  All posts on Apr 24

These days, cues on living a virtuous life are virtually absent from school or popular culture. And there are thousands of other stimuli vying for your attention. What this means is that you can’t hope to accidentally bump into cues every day that will help you remember the things that are most important to you. Instead, you have to purposefully plan for your regular exposure to those cues. You do this by regularly reading your scriptures, or personal manifesto, or books on philosophy and development, and doing other things which continually pull up all your past feelings and insights into the man you want to be, bringing them to bear on your present challenges.

~ Brett McKay from, Hold Fast: How Forgetfulness Torpedos Your Journey to Becoming the Man You Want to Be

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The linked article is rather long and covers a wide variety of sources and ideas — some I’d venture most “modern” people won’t be interested in. But, the thread running through this is very real.

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Approaching life with beginner’s mind →

Published April 22, 2017  ·  All posts on Apr 22  ·  

It’s not just something you practice when you’re learning something — though dropping the “expert’s mind” and seeing the learning as a beginner is an important practice in learning. It’s something you can practice every single moment of the day (if you can remember to do so).

~ Leo Babauta from, Approaching Life with Beginner’s Mind

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Finding Stillness →

Published April 15, 2017  ·  All posts on Apr 15  ·  

This is pretty common. Thinking isn’t the problem, but the struggle comes when we’re constantly spinning stories in our heads and getting caught up in them.

~ Leo Babauta from, Finding Stillness

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Hear! Hear!

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You are flawed. And so are your heroes →

Published April 14, 2017  ·  All posts on Apr 14

We love these flawed superheroes, because it makes them relatable, vulnerable, and REAL. It gives them an identity; as readers of comics or viewers of a movie, we get to look inside these people and know that they feel real pain too, and we see parts of ourselves in them. … Why, then, don’t we do this with our real-life heroes and ourselves?

~ Steve Kamb from, You Are Flawed. And So Are Your Heroes.

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Wire your body for complex movement →

Published April 13, 2017  ·  All posts on Apr 13  ·  ,

If you’re not strong enough or flexible enough to do the things you love, you absolutely need to spend time working on that. But for well-rounded physical performance–not to mention the ability to apply the strength, mobility, and conditioning you’re building–it’s important to work on your motor control and coordination as well.

~ Jarlo from, The Key to Better Performance: Coordination Exercises You Need to Try

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Flexibility/range-of-motion, strength, and coordination are the big three components of healthy movement [in my opinion]. This is a great article about coordination, complex motor skills, and (inadvertently) helps explain a lot of why I love Parkour.

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What you can learn from obsessing over your own time use →

Published April 12, 2017  ·  All posts on Apr 12

We think we’re working 70 or 80 hours a week, but we’re not. We think we’re not getting enough sleep, but often we are. We misjudge our own time use constantly, and it can lead us to misidentify problems and remain stuck and frustrated.

~ Annie Mueller from, How To Capture Ideas and Tasks When Driving, Exercising, or Showering

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The majesty of calmness →

Published April 10, 2017  ·  All posts on Apr 10  ·  ,

The man who is calm has his course in life clearly marked on his chart. His hand is ever on the helm. Storm, fog, night, tempest, danger, hidden reefs— he is ever prepared and ready for them. He is made calm and serene by the realization that in these crises of his voyage he needs a clear mind and a cool head; that he has naught to do but to do each day the best he can by the light he has; that he will never flinch nor falter for a moment; that, though he may have to tack and leave his course for a time, he will never drift, he will get back into the true channel, he will keep ever headed toward his harbor.

~ Brett McKay from, Manvotional: The Majesty of Calmness

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Letter 52: On choosing our teachers →

Published April 9, 2017  ·  All posts on Apr 9  ·  ,

You may be sure that this refractory nature, which demands much toil, has been implanted in us. There are obstacles in our path; so let us fight, and call to our assistance some helpers. “Whom,” you say, “shall I call upon? Shall it be this man or that?” There is another choice also open to you; you may go to the ancients; for they have the time to help you. We can get assistance not only from the living, but from those of the past. Let us choose, however, from among the living, not men who pour forth their words with the greatest glibness, turning out commonplaces and holding. as it were, their own little private exhibitions, – not these, I say, but men who teach us by their lives, men who tell us what we ought to do and then prove it by practice, who show us what we should avoid, and then are never caught doing that which they have ordered us to avoid.

~ Seneca from, Letter 52: On Choosing Our Teachers

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Thomas Droge: Body work, Writing, and Parkour Culture →

Published April 4, 2017  ·  All posts on Apr 4  ·  

Thomas Droge: Body work, writing, and parkour culture

What insights can practices like Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Parkour offer about balance, healing, and personal growth?

Thomas Droge discusses balance and falling, as well as the physical and mental implications of each. He unpacks his thoughts on recovery, body work, injury and eastern and western medicine. Thomas also shares about the book he’s writing, his goals, and finishes with his thoughts on the culture of parkour.

The amount of attention it takes to stay balanced allows you to obliterate all the other thoughts in your mind, and you get into this awake conscious state really fast. To be in any kind of balanced state—especially if it’s new—is incredibly valuable to bring you into this moment.

~ Thomas Droge (1:51)

The conversation explores the concept of balance as a dynamic and transformative process, contrasting it with the common misconception of balance as a static endpoint. Through discussions of practices like Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Parkour, it highlights how engaging fully in the present moment enables heightened awareness and flow states. The dialogue also examines how physical balance mirrors emotional and interpersonal dynamics, such as communication and relationships.

Another key theme is healing and recovery, approached through the lens of Chinese medicine and bodywork. Thomas discusses the principles of Dit Da Jow and how traditional and modern approaches address injury and recovery. The conversation also touches on the iterative nature of personal goals, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, adaptability, and finding meaning through both small and grand ambitions.

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§8 – Focus on the process →

Published March 30, 2017  ·  All posts on Mar 30  ·  ,

This entry is part 20 of 37 in the series Study inspired by Pakour & Art du Déplacement by V. Thibault

Early on a brisk Saturday morning, I was struggling to find the motivation to put solid effort into a quadrapedie workout. During a break, I was talking to someone about how I’ve recently been dropping goals. I’ve always had a laundry-list of goals such as getting to a free-standing hand-stand, or a specific number of pull-ups. But I’m learning — slowly — that blindly chasing goals only leads me to injury and failure. Tenaciously refusing to let go of a goal can be counterproductive, even overtly unhealthy.

I find it’s easy to learn, and easy to get some new bit of knowledge stored in my mind. But it is difficult to get my instincts and feelings to change to align with that new knowledge. So it is with my processes and goals: I know it’s all about the process, but my instincts and habits are to create goal upon goal. I regularly get caught up chasing the goals, and lose sight of the process.

How far ahead can I see? How wisely can I set my goals? Do I chase them blindly causing my journey to veer off? Or do I have a broad spread of goals that firmly draw me in my desired direction towards the horizon, and ultimately, to the end of my journey?

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