There are two roads to my destination: Addition or subtraction. If I imagine something I want to achieve, my habit and instinct is to imagine what I’m going to do to get there. That’s the additive approach. But sometimes it would be easier—in fact, sometimes it is only possible—to get there by removing impediments.
I love that question to ask yourself when you’re troubleshooting failed attempts at personal change: Why am I not doing this thing already?
The simplest, quickest and surest means to becoming known as a virtuous person is to work on yourself, to actually be virtuous. Examine each virtue, and you will see that they all were achieved with work and exercise.
The Stoics believed that, in the end, it’s not about what we do, it’s about who we are when we do it. They believed that anything you do well is noble, no matter how humble or impressive, as long as it’s the right thing. That greatness is up to you—it’s what you bring to everything you do.
Depending on where you are on your own journey, this could be the greatest 25-item list you’ve ever seen, or it could be 24 items of hogwash. How great is that? For me, it’s the one about being kind to oneself which I need most to let sink in farther. Every absolute rule, every simple guideline, and every pithy virtue becomes problematic when taken to the extreme. It’s almost as if *gasp* life is complicated, and I’m a complex person.
I feel like I’m living in the negative. My life isn’t a passing timeline of “this is nice” punctuated with some stuff that qualifies as work, chores, and maintency-things. Instead, I feel like any time I’m in a span of “this is nice”, I’m on borrowed time. It’s is always “this is nice, but…” followed by something I feel I should be doing just as soon as I’m done loafing. It’s as if my personal demon is relaxing, just out of sight at the bar as I loaf here on the veranda, but still dutifully keeping track of exactly how long I’ve been loafing. I continuously feel like things will go better for me (in the way mobsters would say that) if I choose to stop loafing rather than waiting to see how long I can get away with it. That’s not healthy and thus my awareness of the need for self-kindness.
It is curious to note the old sea-margins of human thought. Each subsiding century reveals some new mystery; we build where monsters used to hide themselves.
I’d like to do a bit of meta-discussion to start this week’s email. (If you’re reading this on the web site, these posts are assembled into a weekly email. This post sits atop this week’s assemblage.)
I reworked the stuff at the top to ensure that each email has a little more “what the heck is this?” context. I’ve moved the “hey could’ya?” contribute stuff down to the very bottom, (and added a non-subscription, any amount you like option.) I’m imagining that keeps it from being in the way, but is still noticeable—if you scroll all the way to the bottom, you’re probably finding at least some value in the email.
I’d be happy to hear any thoughts you have about these changes: Is the please-support-my-work stuff too out-of-sight now? Does the stuff at the top make sense? After reading these emails, is there anything you’ve wanted to do—anything at all—that you didn’t know how to do?
The other day I was in a Zoom break-out room with a few other podcasters. I was talking about how for 2021 I’m focusing on doing in-person interviews. How being a slave to a weekly schedule was (is, would continue to be,) putting pressure on creating podcast episodes. Most podcasters—well, every single one that I know of, but there must be some out there who aren’t, so I’m writing “most”… Most podcasters are willing to (happy to?) record virtually as that enables them to stay on their weekly production schedules.
Aside: Everyone believes that regular production is critical for podcast success. I disagree. “What’s one important truth that most people would disagree with you about?” is a good question, and this is currently the best answer that I have.
There are millions of podcast shows and many more millions of episodes. I don’t want to make a single episode of Movers Mindset unless it has some particular value or is special in some way; The human race doesn’t need simply, “one more podcast episode.” I believe that in-person, with the right guest, and with me doing my best work I can co-create something of value to humanity.
And “do it every week” doesn’t figure into that formula at all.
The idea of trying to do something at a world-class-or-bust level is a fairly new one for me. I have lots of hobbies and mostly I don’t care about being world class. But I do care about the Movers Mindset podcast being world class.
Do you have anything you’re intentionally pushing to that level?
I write in my journal, basically, every day. I use a combination of styles to craft my—
…honestly, I’m freaking out watching the computer turn my keystrokes into this INSANELY perfect penmanship. Sorry.
—to craft my journal entries as a snapshot of my mood in addition to recording the written content. No I’m not going to share my journal here.
I generally go pages and pages and pages of writing without making a mistake. I write in ink. (Although, I did take a 2-year foray into writing in pencil—ick.) When I make a mistake, I simply place a single line through the mistake and move on. I picked up this habit from working in laboratory notebooks when I was a physics student; mistakes, especially if you go on to redo the work correctly, are part of the work and part of the record of your work. So in a lab notebook, you never remove a page, and you simply draw a single diagonal line through your mistakes. And then you move on. It occurs to me that’s also a great life lesson.
This morning, I tried to write the word “He”, but I flubbed the strokes of the “H” and got something that looked more like the word, “the.” Without the slightest hesitation, I lightheartedly crossed it out, and began to rewrite “He.” I made the first downward stroke of the “H”—mind you this all happened in a split-second—and when I lifted my pen at the bottom of that stroke I couldn’t remember how to write a cursive, capital “H.”
What followed was an hour-long detour into the bowels of the Internet. First I had to figure out which cursive writing style I use. I’ve no idea what I learned in ’76; it just comes out of the end of the pen when I think writing. The best I could do was look through how-to writing worksheets until—stroking the letters in my mind (get your mind out of the gutter)—I found one that seemed right. Then I looked at the H. Then I flipped back through a bunch of pages looking for one of my Hs. To my flabbergasted astonishment I’ve been cheating. I’ve been writing a block letter capital H, when I need a “He,” “However,” or “Hellion.”
In the end I learned three lessons:
How to correctly stroke a cursive, capital H, and for good measure I brushed up on—see what I did there?—my capital K, since they are dangerously similar.
OMG don’t ever try to think about something that you normally do fluidly without thinking. I hurt my neck and nearly broke my wrist in all of this.
WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT LOOK AT EITHER OF THESE WEB SITES…
What motivates someone to blend parkour, yoga, and play into a movement practice that fosters creativity and personal growth?
Lauren Messeck describes her work with the Parkour Visions project, Movement for All, and her personal project, Yoga Move. She discusses her interest in climbing, bare feet versus minimalist shoes, and her background in the performing arts. Lauren reflects on her voice over work, and expresses her passion for helping people to rediscover play.
I can engage with the world in this way that I hadn’t done in a while. And it was awesome.
~ Lauren Messeck (7:00)
The conversation explores how an online search for playful movement led to the discovery of parkour and a thriving community. Lauren shares how parkour complemented a background in yoga and the performing arts, blending these disciplines to create new movement experiences. The discussion touches on the importance of play, the role of community in fostering personal growth, and the development of workshops that merge yoga and parkour.
Further, Lauren elaborates on her involvement with Parkour Visions, an organization dedicated to expanding movement-based programs. This includes efforts to secure funding for community-driven projects, support regional hubs, and make movement more accessible to the public. The conversation also reflects on personal growth through movement, the significance of reconnecting with play, and how simple tools like minimalist shoes and meditation enhance the experience.
Takeaways
Rediscovering Play — Movement and play are not just for children but are essential for adult well-being and creativity.
Community Support — The parkour community thrives on inclusivity and encouragement, fostering connections that extend beyond physical practice.
Parkour and Yoga Integration — Blending yoga with parkour introduces new ways to experience mindfulness, structure, and flow in movement.
Barriers to Entry — Financial and logistical obstacles often prevent movement projects from flourishing, highlighting the need for funding and support.
Fear and Failure — Embracing failure and discomfort is key to progress in both parkour and personal growth.
Minimalist Approach — Minimalist shoes and barefoot training enhance proprioception, reinforcing a deeper connection with the ground and movement.
Certification and Training — Bringing certification programs to regional areas strengthens local communities by providing coaches with tools and education.
Voice and Expression — Voiceover work and movement share parallels in how expression, confidence, and character are developed.
Resources
Parkour Visions — An organization supporting regional parkour communities and movement-based initiatives.
The Movement Creative — A New York-based parkour group focusing on creative, playful movement and community engagement.
Brooklyn Zoo — A parkour and movement gym in Brooklyn that serves as a hub for creative movement and play.
Bouldering Project (Queensbridge) — A climbing and bouldering gym offering opportunities for dynamic movement and community interaction.
Fighting Monkey — A movement practice that blends play, structure, and coordination to develop physical resilience.
“Setting the bar too high.” “Setting stretch goals with the knowledge that coming up short will be the norm.”
…are symptoms of forward-looking assessment of progress. Assessing progress by looking forward is a grievous error. “What have I accomplished?” is only measurable by looking back at what has been accomplished. This error is one of my big problems—I’d even say it’s my #2 problem. I’m working on it by practicing looking back to assess progress. :) My instinct and habit though is to look forward. Thus, more practice is needed to make looking back the default.
What have I accomplished? What is the affect of what I have done? How far have I moved? How much have I learned?
Such questions can only be answered by considering the change between two points in my past.
The hard part—at least for me—is to keep out the “I wanted.” “I accomplished that much, but I wanted to accomplish [insert goal here],” creeps in through the open door of assessment.
By shifting my eyes just a bit to my left, I can see my personal oath which is stuck next to my monitor. There are a few phrases in it which are specifically meant to help me keep, “but I wanted to…” firmly locked outside.
The core of the philosophy seems to be this: To have a good and meaningful life, you need to overcome your insatiability. Most people, at best, spend their lives in a long pursuit of happiness. So today’s successful person writes out a list of desires, then starts chasing them down and satisfying the desires. The problem is that each desire, when satisfied, tends to be replaced by a new desire. So the person continues to chase. Yet after a lifetime of pursuit, the person ends up no more satisfied than he was at the beginning. Thus, he may end up wasting his life.
Mr. Money Mustache is fun and chock-full-of challenges to re-think, and shrug off the western, consumerism mindset. (Which I, at least, have grown up with.) Here he is discovering Stoicism back in 2011. It pleases me greatly when I find common threads appearing in the various people and places that I follow.
My working hypothesis had been that Obama was a lying bastard when trying to get elected and didn’t actually care about civil liberties, or even limiting foreign wars military actions. It now occurs to me that maybe he does care about these things but just finds himself unable to change government policy.
