Everything unresolved →

Published May 24, 2023  ·  All posts on May 24  ·  ,

I beg you, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

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Work ethic →

Published May 24, 2023  ·  All posts on May 24  ·  ,

Hedonistic adaptation ensures that I continuously cycle back and forth between, “If this isn’t nice I don’t know what is!” and rage-quitting all my self-assigned should’s. Two things help temper my intemperance: Journalling provides me with some—albeit subjective—perspective, and reading about the reality of people’s actual lives and work ethics relaxes my self-criticism.

A truer answer would have been that he was fiercely private and deeply caring. He often let other people talk, entering a conversation with a single considered sentence. He didn’t smile unless he was really pleased, and his biggest laugh was a small chuckle. His eyes would squeeze shut and his head would tip back and after he chuckled, he would look at you with delight.

~ Alison Fairbrother from, Lessons in Writing and Life from My Grandfather, E.L. Doctorow

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Without Internet cheating, I can’t name a single one of E. L. Doctorow’s works. But I have this diffuse idea that he is (was?) A Real Writer. Someone who got things written, and maybe had a few ideas worth sharing. Darn it if reading Fairbrother’s piece didn’t tug at the ‘ol heart strings, and I might have gotten something briefly stuck in the corner of one of my eyes.

But I came away with a recalibration: I now have this diffuse idea that he was A Real Writer, got things written, had a few ideas worth sharing, and it was made possible by his family and his work ethic.

(Also, maybe help this autodidact out by hitting reply and telling me one thing of Doctorow’s I must read.)

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Justin Taylor | How to Run a Members-Only Competition →

Published May 23, 2023  ·  All posts on May 23

On Castbox.fm — Justin Taylor | How to Run a Members-Only Competition

How can a members-only Parkour competition benefit both gym communities and business growth?

Find out how structured competitions drive engagement and long-term membership.

I realized: How is this benefiting me? I’m just throwing a competition for the sake of watching awesome athletes do awesome things. Which I have no problem with— that I have the West Coast Parkour championships for awesome athletes to come and push themselves. But that doesn’t push my gym, that doesn’t push my culture, that doesn’t help retain my students.

~ Justin Taylor (11:31)

The conversation explores the concept of members-only Parkour competitions designed to foster community, improve retention, and generate revenue within gyms. Unlike traditional competitions that attract elite athletes, these events focus on inclusivity, offering challenges that cater to all skill levels. Justin emphasizes the importance of creating a supportive environment where everyone has the opportunity to feel accomplished, even those who might finish last. Through tailored categories and multiple opportunities for recognition, these competitions build confidence and engagement among participants.

The discussion also highlights how such events extend their impact beyond the athletes. Parents build friendships and deepen their connections to the gym community, while participants develop personal growth, resilience, and teamwork skills. By incorporating preparatory challenges in regular classes and promoting participation through a structured framework, gyms can create a sustainable model that supports both personal and professional growth for all involved.

Takeaways

Running members-only competitions — A gym-focused approach encourages participation and builds confidence among members.

Avoiding participation trophies — Alternative reward structures can ensure every participant feels valued without diminishing achievement.

Strengthening community bonds — Competitions create opportunities for parents and students to connect socially.

Improving retention — Regular, inclusive events keep members engaged and returning to the gym.

Introducing competition circuits — Successful local competitions can serve as a gateway to regional or national circuits.

Building personal growth — Challenges in competitions can foster resilience, sportsmanship, and overcoming fears.

Focusing on inclusivity — Age-specific and skill-level-based categories ensure every participant has a fair chance to succeed.

Resources

Firestorm Freerunning & Acrobatics — A series of Parkour gyms offering classes and competitions.

West Coast Parkour Championships — A competition series for athletes of all ages and skill levels.

Parkour Professor — Instagram profile for consulting and updates related to Parkour.

FirestormFreerunning@gmail.com — Contact for inquiries and information.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Try to remember →

Published May 23, 2023  ·  All posts on May 23  ·  , , ,

After a long conversation, stop and try to remember what you have just discussed. Don’t be surprised if many things, sometimes even everything you have discussed, were meaningless, empty, and trivial, and sometimes even bad.

~ Leo Tolstoy

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The present →

Published May 22, 2023  ·  All posts on May 22  ·  ,

Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment… the present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received.

~ C.S. Lewis

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Anxiously panicking →

Published May 22, 2023  ·  All posts on May 22  ·  ,

A couple of weeks ago I started obliterating processes. I’ve often talked about how everything is a process, and I still believe that. However I’d reached a point where I simply had too many processes (I won’t bore you with unbelievable examples) and a couple of weeks ago I decided enough was enough. I spent several days doing nothing but thinking about everything I was doing, and wanted to be doing but wasn’t “getting around to.”

We’re overwhelmed by it all: all the things we have on our plates, all the interruptions and messages and emails, all the things online and on social media, all the news and chaos of the world, all the things going on in our relationships.

~ Leo Babauta from, When You’re Overwhelmed, Simplify

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Some things I do can feel like a chore but when I was honest, they are actually things I enjoy doing. Furthermore, they pay off outsized benefits for the time they require. What then made them feel like chores? I think it was the anxiety of the other things I felt I should be doing—after all, I put those other things on a list or made a process so I could chip away at them in sane-sized chunks. I went through everything, and then started deleting things from that “everything else” space.

Is this simply me oscillating between no-planning, planning, no-planning, planning? Is this a 2/3-life (or, if I pretend I’ll live long, “mid-life”) crisis? Have I said a polite-but-clear “no” to some big things? Have I been having some anxiety-free days? YES, to all of those. I’m currently trying to be vigilant to notice the first thing I get anxious about—because I’m going to delete that next.

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…and some housekeeping →

Published May 22, 2023  ·  All posts on May 22  ·  

Could you contribute a testimonial for 7 for Sunday? I’m always on the lookout for some, “This is better than sliced bread! ~ Craig C.” testimonials. If you’re open to being quoted, please hit reply and send me a testimonial. (They end up getting posted on the front of my site where the main signup is for 7 for Sunday.)

And please consider sharing 7 for Sunday with others. Forwarding the email you received works, but you can also just point people to https://constantine.name/7-for-sunday/.

Thanks for reading! I appreciate your time and attention, and I don’t take it for granted. :)

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May 21, 2023 — #33 →

Published May 21, 2023  ·  All posts on May 21  ·  

Reading time: About 5 minutes, 1100 words
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This issue is https://7forsunday.com/33

Simple work →

Published May 21, 2023  ·  All posts on May 21  ·  

When a person sets to work, even if it is the most unqualified, primitive, simple work, the human soul calms down. As soon as a person starts to work, all the demons leave him and cannot approach him. A man becomes a man.

~ Thomas Carlyle

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Slow, surreal →

Published May 21, 2023  ·  All posts on May 21  ·  

I’ve embraced this slow philosophy for most of my professional career. As with Stearns, I too have become a believer in how much can be accomplished in normal 40-hour weeks; if you’re willing to really work when you’re working, and then be done when you’re done. It’s nice, however, to see someone so much more eminent than me also find success with this fixed-schedule approach.

~ Cal Newport from, Professio sano in vitam sanam (on balancing work and life)

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The other day I had a most surreal experience. I was at home. The weather was gorgeous and I spent most of the day on the patio. For about half of the day I did nothing in particular. And I felt—in the moments when I was doing nothing—that that was fine.

I have often experienced this surreality, but always when I have been away. Always, critically, when I had intentionally spent time planning and working to create space to be away. Think of it like getting a running start to coast through the away time; the experience of that surreality had always been while coasting.

“…and then be done when you’re done.” But the other day? I dunno. I did stuff, and then I was done, and that was okay.

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