Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. My extended winter holiday has come to a close. That has meant a lot of quality time with my boys and my wife. As well as a much needed break from work. With that comes less time spent on this platform, and on my other projects, which mostly take place during my downtime on the road.
As I start to transition out of vacation mode and back towards a more normal routine the inevitable new years conundrum comes up.
I’m not a big believer in arbitrary calendar flips dictating significant life changes, but it is a tidy, human way, to compartmentalize the passage of time and overcome stagnation and inertia to make a change.
If there is something you want to do, or explore, or learn, don’t wait for January 1, just do it. That said, my mother gifted me a subscription to Masterclass for Christmas and I am trying to make that a more regular part of my routine.
Time that would otherwise be spent scrolling news articles without direction and somewhat mindlessly, can now be dedicated to a more tangible and appreciable watching or listening, and learning experience.
The lessons are broken down into very digestible 8-15 min sections so it isn’t a huge commitment. It is one that I feel I can make a routine of, and feel better about my time and attention allocation.
I started off with Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass on writing. It seemed the most directly related to my current projects and it was highly recommend by my brother who is an English teacher and something of a writer himself.
In section five while discussing research, Gladwell shares the story of visiting a town in eastern Pennsylvania, where the the residents seem to live unexpectedly long lives, despite a number of what would otherwise be considered unhealthy lifestyle choices.
He had read an article about the town, and decided to visit. He walked through the towns shops, and took notes. He met and dined with the mayor and recorded their conversation. He shelved the information for the better part of fifteen years until it found a place in the opening of his book Outliers.
Malcolm followed his curiosity and then sat on the resulting product for fifteen years. That is a long time, and a not insignificant investment, waiting for something to bear fruit. And yet, it did.
After sharing the anecdote, Malcolm goes on to tell the students of this class.
“You have to feel free to go down roads that don’t lead anywhere immediately. I was going for a wander and collecting something and sticking it on a back shelf in the hopes that I would someday use it. If you do enough of those little wanderings then you have a shelf that is packed with really really cool things.”
“But doing something only because you can perceive in the moment that it might be useful is a really good way of not gathering anything at all because you can’t know in the moment. There is too much pressure.”
Obviously this strategy has worked out well for Gladwell, who has been prolific over his long career. Following curiosity in search of things that are truly interesting. Trusting that what you uncover will be worth the time and energy to uncover it, even if only for its own discovery sake.
There is a certain bravery and faith required for this approach. An inherent trust that your instincts, if followed, will reward you appropriately. Even if it isn’t in the way you hope, or think it might.
I followed my own interests recently diverting from my language and communication research to read the book Lifespan. It has nothing to do with my current projects but I thought it was interesting.
Within the book was a singular mention of a mathematician Claude Shannon, referenced in a passage on cellular aging. This again seemed interesting, and let me to purchase two more books, Shannon’s doctoral thesis, as well as his biography.
I didn’t imagine when reading a book on longevity, that I would be introduced to a mathematician, that would lead to another 500 or so pages of reading and a number of other interesting findings.
These weren’t just really cool things to put on a shelf, they ended up being immediately useful in my current projects. Following my curiosity on a seeming wandering bore fruit.
Furthermore, I was reading because I was curious, rather than reading like a stoic researcher. The wandering was not just productive, it was enjoyable.
I’ve found this same approach extremely productive in my grappling as well. It isn’t when drilling a position over and over that you come up with a breakthrough. It is when you are playing. Unencumbered by the moment. Moving through positions with a curiosity and lack of intentional direction. Wandering, physically, and even mentally, that the eureka moments happen.
Curiosity can lead you down unexpected roads. Ones that might not seem to be in the direction you intended, or initially set out on. Following these roads with an open, wandering mindset can lead to incredible places. Not the least of which is serenity.
Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.
