Craving Encouragement: A Project Update

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"Life is a marathon, not a sprint."

Yeah, who says?

Just another thing that sounds smart, but maybe it's not. Okay, forget about smart. Is it accurate? Not likely.

I watched yet another documentary on Janis Joplin the other night during another bout of insomnia. She died at 27. Along with a host of other rock and rollers like Jimi Hendrix. 27 seems to be a popular age to check out if you're given to excess. There's even a 27 Club.

I guess 27 years is a marathon compared to 2 years. Life is relative. But lifespan isn't usually what we're referring to when we say, "Life is a marathon, not a sprint." Mostly, I think people mean things take time. So the saying is really an exhortation toward endurance, patience and staying with it.

But it implies something more.

That slow and steady is the path to success. And that fast is the enemy.

Is that right?

Well, it can be. But not necessarily.

Truth is likely far more complicated. And difficult.

Human endeavor largely depends on our beliefs. That's why these are important subjects to discuss. Even more important to think about. And yet even more important to figure out so we can implement positive changes in our actions.

Does it take a long time to make a positive change?

Is growth always a marathon?

Can we not change our minds and our lives quickly?

We're human beings with greater capacity for achievement and adaptation than any creatures on the planet. Other creatures require more time to adapt because they have to experience changes before they adapt. Or before they begin to learn how to adapt.

Not us.

We can think about it in our minds before we ever experience it. That gives us the opportunity and ability to make changes quickly. Humans have the innate ability to figure things out. And quickly.

This may be on more of a micro or short-term level, but it has a macro or longer-term ramifications. We can figure out what to do next rather quickly about most things. People do things, say things and we face new circumstances or situations. If life were really a marathon we'd be stuck trying to navigate our way through all the new people and situations we face. But that's not the case.

Sure, some folks can do it more quickly than others, but every human being blessed with sufficient cognitive ability and mental health has the capacity to figure out rather quickly what to do. There's just one little catch. Okay, it’s not so little.

We don't always implement wisdom in figuring it out. Long-time listeners know how I define wisdom. It's not very complicated the way I think of it because I'm pretty simple.

Wisdom is getting it right in real time.

We can all get it right in hindsight. Some of us need a few times maybe. But the real catch is to figure it out in real-time. To get it right as it's happening.

It's really hard. The time pressure is real.

Many psychiatrists and psychologists have written and given talks...