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Month: September 2023

The Furthest Along

Published on September 9, 2023

The thing about watching and listening to the best—in any category—is that it’s not long thereafter that you start comparing yourself to them.

And while the best are incredibly impressive, what they often are not is appropriate comparison rulers.

In fact, by definition, they are the ones who make you feel the furthest from where you want to be. Because they are the best—the furthest along—and you are where you are.

While it may be tempting to keep the best posted up in front of your eyes and dialed in to the drum of your ears… it’s important to remember that it can easily have the opposite of the intended effect.

“Motivating” might be the word you use when you tell yourself why you’re following them, subscribing to their channels, and obsessing over their highlight reels.

But, if all they ever make you want to do is watch… motivate isn’t what they’re doing at all.

Distract is the word you need to start using and other people—closer comparison rulers who make you actually act—are the ones you should fill your timelines with.

The Noise of Paradise

Published on September 8, 2023

The 50k run I completed last week was composed of four laps in and around Burning Man city.

The absolute hardest moment of the run happened when I was completing my third lap.

Just as I turned the corner and the checkpoint/finish line came into sight, I saw a group of around 50+ people celebrating, cheering, and lounging after having completed the run.

…They finished an entire lap ahead of me.

…And I had an entire lap to go.

…As in I had to deliberately choose to go back out into the heat, windstorms, and longgggg stretches of uninhabited desert WITH the agony of already wrecked ankles and knees when what was right in front of me looked nothing short of paradise.

…I seriously considered stopping.

….I seriously questioned my life decisions.

…I seriously wanted nothing more than to collapse and complain and lounge.

…But, something inside me told me to just keep moving.

To slowly, slowly, move away from that finish line—my checkpoint—and let the noise of paradise fade into the background… until it subtilely disappeared.

And not long thereafter, it did.

…And I was back in it.

…Undistracted by the sounds of other people’s victories and the visions of other people’s reward. I no longer had other people’s voices in my head nor did I have their relieved faces in my sight. I was free from the temptations of comfort that were trying to pull me more and more forcibly back towards its favorite zone.

…And I was running my own race again.

This was the key decision—the crux point—that got me through.

This was the moment I actually finished the race.

The Gift of Experience (Unshared)

Published on September 7, 2023

Gifting is one of the core principles at Burning Man.

The idea is that everybody brings more than they need so that each participant can practice decommodification (another core principle) and can devote themselves to unconditional gift giving.

Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value—which can be a foreign concept to grasp in our transactionary world. In fact, those who try and pay, barter, or otherwise offer a return for a gift miss the point entirely—the point is to have an emotional exchange (more on that here).

That said, one of the best gifts I received from Burning Man didn’t come from Burning Man—and I received some incredible, breath-taking gifts.

…The best gift I received came from those who made it possible for me to go TO Burning Man.

Specifically, my mom who house and dog sat for me for the entire duration of my trip and my coworkers who stepped up and helped run the martial arts school for me while I was completely off grid.

The gift they provided was one I’ll truly never forget: the experience as a whole.

…And this is one of the greatest gifts we can offer one another.

Not only the gift of experiences shared, but those unshared.

The gift of allowing other people the freedom to travel, adventure, and explore all that this life has to offer—even if (especially if) that means staying back and covering for them while they’re gone. Not because we don’t want to go, but because in allowing them to go, we gift them wings—and nothing should feel better than watching them fly.

Ultra

Published on September 6, 2023

I ran my first ever ultramarathon at Burning Man this past week.

…And let me tell you: I had zero intentions of running an ultramarathon at Burning Man this past week.

It all started when I met Justin—an ultramarathon runner in my camp.

Justin is a crazy son-of-a-gun who completed a 120k run at one point in his life, but presents in the most calm, cool, collected—un-crazy sort of way.

It was Sunday when we both were getting to know each other after having invested a significant amount of energy into building our 30 person camp that I discovered his intention.

“So, what are you up to tomorrow?”

“Probably just taking it easy. I’m running the ultra on Tuesday.”

…He said about as nonchalantly as you or I might’ve if we were going to the drug store to buy sunscreen.

“…You’re running the 50k?!”

“…In the desert?!”

“…With these dust storms and heat?”

Justin:“Yeahhhh.”

…He replied calmly to each objection without a hint of worry in sight.

“I’ve run a marathon before, but that’s my max.”

I continued as I then proceeded to list all of the reasons why 26.2 miles was my limit.

And as he listened to each rational thought—posture relaxed, legs crossed, gaze soft—I felt a contrasting rigidity form as I drew myself into a box of limitations.

And when I finished he said plainly:“Yeahhhh, well if you’ve run a marathon before, a 50k is just a few miles more.”

“…And it’s not like you have to go fast.” He continued.

“…You can take your time.”

“…If you don’t finish, you don’t finish.”

“…And if you do… well…”

“…Then you do.“