running with happiness (freedom).
Some of the "technical" aspects of running are starting to get discussed in the forums, which is nice because it allows me to bring up topics in the blog that are less technical, but just as important.
There has been a topic that Nikki and I have been discussing the last couple weeks that relates to the idea of happiness. Specifically we are trying to figure out how big of a "sacrifice" we would be willing to make in order to take another "chance" at being happier on a daily basis?
I think that a lot of people would say, "Take the chance. Your happiness is worth it. You'll always look back and wonder, what if?" if we really sought out advice from others. But how many people really sell out to follow a dream compared to how many decisions do people make based upon:
I have found in the last several years that there is one common component to all of the decisions I made that ultimately made me happy - freedom. Decisions that I make that create more freedom in my life, always turn out positive when I review them in hindsight.
It's interesting that freedom can be found in various ways and is probably defined differently by each individual.
What does this have to do with running?
Running is freeing. When approached with the right state of mind, the time I spend running creates a lot of freedom. During those times, I don't worry about the list of 8,000 various things that I'll normally worry about during any given day. Call it meditation, focused movement or ignoring your problems, I don't really care.
The benefit of finding freedom (for me happiness) with running isn't in how it happens, but that it does happen. Here's a short list of things you might want to do in order to help facilitate this feeling yourself:
As a kid, I loved the movie Running Brave about Billy Mills. It's been a long time sense I've seen it, but there was a scene that took place after Mills had won the 10,000 Olympic gold where he was back on the reservation and just running. That's probably the best visual that I can think of, when explaining how running creates freedom for me.
There has been a topic that Nikki and I have been discussing the last couple weeks that relates to the idea of happiness. Specifically we are trying to figure out how big of a "sacrifice" we would be willing to make in order to take another "chance" at being happier on a daily basis?
I think that a lot of people would say, "Take the chance. Your happiness is worth it. You'll always look back and wonder, what if?" if we really sought out advice from others. But how many people really sell out to follow a dream compared to how many decisions do people make based upon:
- influences from media and marketing (does Starbucks really make me hip?)
- influences from family and/or friends
- social status pressure (house purchases, cars we drive, clothes we wear)
- thoughts of fear and safety
I have found in the last several years that there is one common component to all of the decisions I made that ultimately made me happy - freedom. Decisions that I make that create more freedom in my life, always turn out positive when I review them in hindsight.
It's interesting that freedom can be found in various ways and is probably defined differently by each individual.
What does this have to do with running?
Running is freeing. When approached with the right state of mind, the time I spend running creates a lot of freedom. During those times, I don't worry about the list of 8,000 various things that I'll normally worry about during any given day. Call it meditation, focused movement or ignoring your problems, I don't really care.
The benefit of finding freedom (for me happiness) with running isn't in how it happens, but that it does happen. Here's a short list of things you might want to do in order to help facilitate this feeling yourself:
- leave all gadgets at home (hr monitor, gps, watch)
- run a route you know (getting lost is scary not freeing)
- every once in a while, say to yourself out loud how thankful you are that you can run
- do not get caught up in a single thought
- pay close attention to how your body feels (breathing, cadence, etc.)
As a kid, I loved the movie Running Brave about Billy Mills. It's been a long time sense I've seen it, but there was a scene that took place after Mills had won the 10,000 Olympic gold where he was back on the reservation and just running. That's probably the best visual that I can think of, when explaining how running creates freedom for me.
posted by gary at 12:41 PM
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