Aim to be playful rather than successful
The practice is bigger than the things we train for
In training, the focus tends to be outwards, on the end result. In practice, the focus is turned inward, toward the process and how we tackle it. The funny thing is, trusting the process and letting go of the end result is often the most direct path to that result.
I’d been training the splits for a few years…
And the process was beginning to feel tedious, so I told my coach how I was feeling. He said,
“It would be a disaster if you got the splits in 6 months. You wouldn’t learn shit. You’d have a cool photo for instagram and then what? You’ll learn so much about yourself through the tussle.”
It’s not that the end result doesn’t matter. It’s just that the end result is more than the splits. Every lesson learnt on the long road of practice is part of the end result.
"Cultivate a practice that provokes you. A practice that gives you an energy surplus. Put yourself at risk and learn to recognise what is better than simply good enough."
-Josef Frucek.
Your training might look like someone else’s.
Your practice is always one of a kind.
Your practice is unique to you because so much of it is subjective - invisible to everyone else. Your practice truly begins when you accept where you are and step into the driver’s seat of your own life.
Your practice is your way of living and your way of learning from life. It’s a way to both develop and understand yourself and the body you were born into, through concentration, interest and challenge.
Smile and practice. Play and explore.
Keep it light and fun but too serious to skip.
We humans need something difficult to chew on.
We need to do hard things and engage with material that is going to challenge us. Find a practice which requires you to live beautifully in order to achieve the outcome you have set for yourself.
"Live simple, train hard and live an honest life. Then you are free"
- E. Kipchogie