Monday's Mind, Meals, Moves and More

MIND

An alignment of 3 simple concepts I gathered from last weekend's NGS conference, recent podcasts and a current book I've been reading - all through the lens of different disciplines (sports, business, and life). While the perspectives differ, there lies common ground. Interpret as you like but here's what I think it comes down to:

Sustainable Work and Effort

Conference: The main message of many of the keynote speakers (beyond the incredibly valuable information shared from their areas of work) was that young people need to put in more time, energy and effort to prove and establish credibility in comparison to adults with more formal experience and expertise.
Podcast: All we hear everyone talk about is the #hustle and #grind and #teamnosleepexceptfortheweak…yet is that sustainable to really perform your best? Like many of the speakers said at the conference, you need to work harder than anyone else, but this podcast defends that we also must rest harder than anyone else. This isn't an excuse to not put in the effort. However, true progress is long term. Consistent solid work does best over time.
Book: The breaks. Our 'Aha' moments happen when we "open our minds to let the best possible actions from the past combine to reach the best possible goal in the future" - this means taking our mind off what we want at times. "You practice your moves so they become second nature to you, and then you free your mind and let the circumstances of the battle guide your actions in a series of flashes of insight that show you the Way."

Interpretation: Put in the work, rest, and reap the rewards. Across so many social media influencers, we see all this intense motivation and and sure it lights a fire to get you going..but how long can you sustain that -- yes, if you want to be better, you've got to work harder. While we need to outwork to get ahead, you also need to strategically rest - that's when the breakthroughs happen.

Routine Action

Conference: "Obsessively take action..and execute". We were told that how obsessive you are depends on the size of your dream - if it's not that big of a dream, then you won't obsess..and therefore won't deliver exceptional work. The people that routinely are taking action are the ones that have no other option because that's what it takes to deliver. Therefore, if you're goals aren't too ambitious, you feel no sense of urgency to constantly works towards that goal.
Podcast: The routines and parameters you set should align with your goals (whether your're a professional athlete spending 8 hrs/day practicing vs 2 hrs/day while working on a business) - you need to be disciplined in the right direction aligned with what's necessary at that point in time. However, you must be as disciplined about holding back as you are with the hard work. In the mindset of peak performance - there are no short cuts or hacks. While it's easy to get short-sided and go into overdrive for short bursts, it's the long term and sustainable action that wins.
Book: Taken from parallel drawn between military strategy and Asian philosophy - there are many possible ways to achieve your strategy. There's what we can control, and what we can't. "Success comes from picking the right combination for the right goal". In order to choose that goal we must understand the current circumstances in order to make the course of action to get there. The "action" itself is never routine, but the process of reaching that decisive point is.

Interpretation: It's easy to get short-sided thinking you need to stay up all night on Addy and coffee, take PED's, or work really hard for a day and not continue. Science and history prove you are much more likely to achieve your goals and strategy if you establish a process that can be done on a consistent basis for years.

Balance

Conference: The Patience Paradox: Navigating the balance of the ambitious pursuit of an audacious goal, while simultaneously embracing the moments you must endure to get there. This is so real. There is discomfort when we don't feel like we're progressing. This urgency can serve a purpose - it maintains accountability, consciousness, self-awareness and ambition to do more. However, this desire of progress requires a balance of patience.
Podcast: Balance is an allusion. My entire life I've been told to "balance". However, I don't think there is such a thing - however there is being thoughtful, intentional and knowing what you want. "Stress + rest = growth" (I've talked about this type of cycling of stimulus both physically and intellectually before).
Book: Researchers in neuroscience and cognitive psychology studied these “Aha!” moments and it came down to using “thinking, not feeling,” over time, and you link disparate elements to produce a new idea. “A flash of insight cuts through the fog of your mind with a clear, shining thought…at last you see clearly what to do.”. It's the balance of work, examples of history, presence of mind, intensive learning, personal experiences, reading, and ultimately patience that allows for the breakthroughs to occur and the light-bulb to go off.

Interpretation: As long as you are committed to self-understanding - who you are and what drives you…then you can align your tasks accordingly, while also being patient in understanding the ebbs and flows. Some days require more work than others, but overall, balance can (and should be) achieved.

Too be 100% real with you ...Why do I care? The realness you don't hear about is how damn difficult it is to strike this optimal balance to put forth your best work - keeping the short and long term in mind...on top of the events life throws. There's this incredible uncertainty when you have to hold yourself accountable to making something come to life with absolutely no instructions (not like I would read them anyways). I'm constantly trying to navigate this tension of what works and doesn't work for me...and it's always evolving (and always will be). Naturally, I've noticed the relevance to this challenge through what I've been reading, listening to, and learning.

MEALS

What I'm loving:

(beside the abundance of fresh garden blubs..a hella easy snack). I'm reunited with the vitamix..distance makes the heart grow fonder. The garden+greenhouse is poppin' so moves have to be made

Carrot Almond Butter: Carrots, almond butter, almond milk, frozen banana, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), protein of choice
Mint Chocolate Chip Shake: Mint, spinach, kale, cacao powder, frozen avocado, frozen cauliflower, chocolate protein powder, frozen banana, almond milk, oats, (topped with almond butter, shredded coconut, cacao nibs)
Green Juice: Cucumber, spirulina, kale, lime juice, frozen mint, frozen mango, coconut water (Kristen Thut coming in clutch with the brainstorming of this concoction)

MOVES

Tri(ing) - People often ask what I do - I like to schedule lots of different things (nothing crazy, but here you can see a taste of last week's schedule). With that being said, at the end of summer I'll be doing a triathlon (first one in 3 years!) Right now I'm enjoying the mornings outside, maintaining strength, mixing it up, trying new things, and simultaneously focusing on different fitness goals. I also need to find a way to afford a bike that isn't a beach cruiser :)
Moving: Little detail, but makes a significant difference in my work output and general feel. 45 minutes of work, 10 minutes move (mostly to the fridge...but sometimes a quick jump in the pool, handstand practice, attempt to master a one armed push ups, filling up my water bottle, etc)
Recovery: Needed to step up my rolling game - found this steal for $14 and I'm more excited than ever to wake up in the mornings.